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This  book  was  presented  by 

I.    0.    Schaub 


FIRST  LESSONS 


in 


BOTANY. 


D.  H.  HILL  LIBRARY 
M.  £  SIAIE  UNIVERSITY 


THE    CENTURY  PLANT. 


Pace.  74. 


FIRST  LESSONS 


IN 


BOTANY. 


BY  THEODORE  THINKER. 


NEW-YORK: 

A.   S.   BARNES   &  COMPANY, 

1851. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  Eighteen 
Hundred  and  Fifty,  by  A.  S.  Barnes  &  Co.,  in  the  Clerk's 
Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Southern  District  of 
New  York. 


F.  C.  GUTIERREZ,  PRINTER, 
cor.  John  and  Dulch-st. 


AUTHOR'S    PREFACE. 


1  have  written  the  following  pages  for  children.  1 
have  used  the  child's  language,  so  far  as  was  practicable, 
and  have  endeavored  to  dispense,  in  a  great  measure, 
with  the  technical  terms  of  Botany.  It  is  far  from 
"iv  wish  to  make  great  scholars  of  little  boys  and  girls. 
I  have  aimed  in  this  book  merely  to  give  the  young 
student  such  a  knowledge  of  Botany  as  is  adapted  to 
his  years.  Some  may  wonder  why  I  did  not.  unlock 
another  door  or  two  for  my  little  friends.  I  can  only 
say,  in  regard  to  the  matter,  that  I  found  it  necessary 
to  stop  somewhere.  I  could  not  show  them  the  whole 
building;  and  I  had  to  choose,  not  between  a  small 
part  and  the  whole,  but  between  a  small  part  and  none 
at  all. 

I  am  well  aware  that  there  is  among  modern  Bota- 
nists of  the  highest  standing,  a  growing  preference  for 
the  Natural  system.  I  have  adopted  the  modified  sys- 
tem of  Linnreus  in  this  book,  nevertheless.  In  my 
1* 


vi  PREFACE. 

estimation,  it  is  simpler  and  better  than  the  other,  for 
the  juvenile  student.  It  is  better  for  the  child,  because 
it  is  simpler.  It  is  simpler,  because  it  does  not  weary 
and  perplex  by  its  numerous  divisions.  For  my  present 
purpose,  I  must  prefer  the  Linnaean  system. 

The  very  head  and  front  of  my  offending 
Hath  this  extent — no  more. 

The  enthusiastic  admirer  of  the  opposite  school,  will 
surely  throw  the  mantle  of  his  clemency  over  so  slight 
an  offence  against  a  system,  which,  in  many  respects, 
is  far  preferable  to  any  other. 


FIRST    LESSONS    IN    BOTANY. 


CHAPTER  FIRST. 


WO  or  three  years  ago,  I  had 
a  little  friend  who  was  very 
fond  of  flowers.  Her  name 
was  Emma.  I  think  she  was 
six  or  seven  years  old. 
One  day,  in  the  month  of  June,  she 
went  with  me  to  walk  in  the  meadow. 
Do  you  not  love  to  hear  the  music  of 
ihe  birds?  They  were  singing  very 
merrily  that  morning.  God  had  spread  a 
beautiful  green  carpet  all  over  the  fields,  and 
flowers  of  many  colors  and  shapes  seemed  to 
smile  upon  us.  Little  Emma  could  not  help 
thinking   how  kind  and  good   our   heavenly 


What  did  little  Emma  think,  when  she  saw  a  great 
many  pretty  flowers  in  bloom  ? 


8  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

Father  must  be,  who  made  all  these  flowers, 
and  who  taught  them  to  bloom. 

We  gathered  a  good  many  of  these  flowers. 
Some  of  them  Emma  had  never  seen  before, 
and  she  was  delighted  when  she  found  a  new- 
one. 

By  and  by,  we  sat  down  under  the  shade 
of  a  tree,  and  my  little  friend  asked  me  a  great 
many  questions  about  flowers.  She  had  never 
before  looked  very  carefully  at  any  particular 
one ;  and  she  was  surprised  when  she  did  so, 
and  still  more,  when  she  learned  that  there 
were  a  great  many  wonderful  things  about 
plants  which  she  could  not  see  with  the  naked 
eye,  but  which  were  seen  with  a  magnifying 
glass. 

I  told  her  that  the  juice  circulates  through 
these  delicate  tubes  in  the  flower,  and  its 
leaves,  just  as  the  blood  circulates  in  our 
veins.  I  told  her,  too,  that  more  than  twenty 
thousand  such  pores  had  been  counted  in  one 
single  leaf.  I  pointed  out  the  way  in  which 
the  leaves  do  the  work  of  breathing  for  the 

What  did  Emma  ask  questions  about  ?  Mention 
some  things  which  she  was  told  about  flowers. 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  9 

plant,  just  as  we  take  air  into  our  lungs  to 
purify  the  blood. 

She  was  delighted  with  what  she  learned — 
so  much  delighted,  that  she  begged  I  would 
tell  her  all  about  the  flowers. 

I  said  to  little  Emma,  that  I  would  gladly 
teach  her  many  curious  things  about  plants, 
which  she  did  not  know;  but  that  she  must 
not  expect  to  learn  all  there,  was  to  be  learned 
about  them;  because  it  would  take  a  life-time, 
almost;  and  besides,  there  were  some  things 
about  them,  which  no  one  could  understand 
but  the  great  God  who  made  them. 

I  told  her,  too,  that  one  of  the  most  useful 
things  for  her  to  learn,  was  the  way  in  which 
the  different  plants  are  classified,  so  that  when 
she  found  a  new  flower,  she  could  tell  what 
class  and  order  it  belonged  to,  and  what  name 
to  give  it. 

During  that  summer,  the  little  girl  made  a 

Would  it  take  a  great  while  to  learn  all  there  is 
known  about  flowers?  Are  there  any  things  about 
them  which  we  cannot  know  ?  Who  knows  everything 
about  them  ?  What  is  one  of  the  most  useful  things  to 
be  learned  in  Botany  ?  What  is  meant  by  classifying 
plants  1 


10  CHILD'J  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

great  deal  of  progress  in  the  knowledge  of 
flowers.  I  taught  her  how  to  analyze  many, 
that  is,  I  showed  her  how  to  find  out,  by  their 
several  parts,  in  what  class  and  order  they 
were  ranked,  and  what  there  was  remarkable 
about  them. 

She  found  this  a  very  pleasant  study,  and 
1  hope  my  young  friends,  for  whose  benefit  I 
write  this  book,  will  find  it  so  too. 

This  knowledge  of  flowers  is  called  Botany, 
and  the  study  of  Botany  includes  the  descrip- 
tion of  every  thing  in  the  vegetable  kingdom, 
whether  it  has  flowers  or  not. 

If  any  of  those  who  study  my  book,  should 
become  very  familiar  with  what  I  tell  them, 
I  suppose  they  will  be  called  Botanists.  At 
any  rate,  little  friends,  if  any  body  should  hap- 
pen to  call  you  so,  you  need  not  be  ashamed 
of  the  name. 

What  do  we  mean  when  we  talk  about  analyzing  a 
plant?  What  is  Botany?  What  does  Botany  in- 
clude ?  If  any  one  learns  Botany,  what  is  he  f  r  she 
called  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  H 

CHAPTER  SECOND. 

I  wish  you  were  with  me,  and  I  had  a  hand- 
ful of  those  beautiful  flowers  which  Emma 
used  to  bring  me  when  she  was  learning  some- 
thing about  Botany.  But  as  it  cannot  be  so, 
I  will  get  the  engraver  to  make  pictures  of 
some  of  them,  and  these  I  will  have  printed 
for  you. 

They  will  be  almost  as  good  for  our  use, 
perhaps,  as  the  living  flowers  would  be,  though 
not  quite,  for  art  is  never  equal  to  nature. 
I  mean  that  God  is  wiser  and  greater  than 
men. 

I  shall  have  to  dissect  some  plants,  I  think, 
that  is,  to  take  them  apart,  so  that  I  can  show 
their  different  organs  separately,  and  each  of 
these  parts  I  suppose  must  be  engraved,  too. 

Then  I  can  talk  to  you  in  my  book,  very 
much  as  I  did  to  my  little  friend,  Emma,  and 
as  I  should  to  you,  if  you  were  with  me; 

How  shall  we  get  along  in  studying  Botany,  without 
living  flowers  ?  Are  engraved  flowers  as  good  as  living 
ones  ?  If  not,  why  ?  What  do  you  mean  by  dissect- 
ing a  flower  ? 


12  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

though,  to  be  sure,  you  will  not  have  the 
benefit  of  asking  me  questions,  as  she  had. 

I  have  already  said,  that  a  very  important 
branch  of  the  study  of  Botany  is  to  learn  how 
to  analyze  the  different  plants  you  meet  with, 
and  I  think  you  understand  what  I  mean  by 
analyzing  them. 

But  the  first  thing  to  be  attended  to,  is  to 
learn  the  names  of  a  few  of  the  organs,  or 
separate  parts  of  plants. 

Do  not  be  alarmed,  now,  for  fear  I  shall 
trouble  you  with  a  host  of  Latin  and  Greek 
names.  If  I  was  making  a  book  for  older 
people,  I  should  make  use  of  the  words  which 
botanists  generally  use,  because  they  are  more 
convenient,  and  one  cannot  become  a  master 
of  the  study  without  them.  But  I  shall  not  for- 
get that  you  are  children,  and  that  the  use  of 
many  long  and  hard  words  would  puzzle  you 
more  than  they  would  do  you  good. 


What  is  one  of  the  most  important  branches  of  the 
study  of  Botany  ?  What  is  the  first  thing  to  be  attend- 
ed to  ?  What  do  you  mean  by  the  organs  of  a  plant  ? 
Will  it  be  necessary  for  you  now  to  learn  a  great  many 
hard  names  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTAN1  13 

By  and  by,  perhaps,  as  you  go  on,  step  by 
step,  in  learning  Botany,  it  will  be  well  for 
you  to  learn  these  names,  and  you  will  be  as 
much  pleased  to  learn  those  things  which  are 
more  difficult,  as  I  shall  be  to  talk  to  you 
about  them. 

One  of  the  flowers  which  Emma  brought 
from  the  field,  and  which  she  admired  a  good 
deal,  was  the  Buttercup.  It  is  a  pretty  flower. 
Perhaps  you  all  have  seen  it.  I  have  had  it 
engraved,  and  you  will  see  it  on  the  next 
page. 

The  flower,  you  know,  is  yellow,  though 
the  engraver  cannot  show  you  the  color. 

On  this  picture,  I  want  to  point  out  to  you 
the  principal  parts  of  the  whole  plant,  and  tell 
their  names.     I  will  do  so  in  the  next  chapter 


Would  it  be  well  to  do  so,  if  you  were  older?  What 
is  the  name  of  the  plant  in  the  engraving  ?  What  is 
i  he  color  of  its  flower?  Why  do  you  not  see  the  color 
iu  the  picture  ?     Why  is  it  put  into  the  book  ? 


TiJE    BOTTERCaP. 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  15 

CHAPTER  THIRD. 

You  see  the  letters  which  I  have  marked  on 
the  picture.  These  letters  will  help  me  to 
point  out  the  different  parts  of  the  plant. 

If  I  should  put  my  finger  on  the  spot  marked 
a,  I  should  show  you  the  Root. 

So  a  is  the  Root, 
b  is  the  Bulb, 

c,  the  Root  Leaves, 

d,  the  Stem, 

e,  the  Stem  Leaves, 
/,  the  Branches, 

,  g,  the  Flower  Stalk, 
h,  the  Flowers. 
There  is  nothing  very  hard  to  learn,  or  dif- 
ficult to  remember,  here.     Do  you  think  there 
is  ?     Well,  it  is  because  I  have  not  used  the 
Latin  names.      I  thought  the  common  ones 

Look  at  the  picture  now,  and  point  out  the  different 
parts  of  the  plant.  Which  is  the  Root  ?  Which  is 
the  Bulb?  Which  are  the  Root  Leaves?  Which  is 
the  Stem  ?  Which  are  the  Stem  Leaves  ?  Which 
are  the  Branches?  Which  is  the  Flower  Stalk? 
Which  are  the  Flowers?  Do  you  think  these  are  very 
hard  nn  mes  ? 


16  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

would  do  just  as  well,  and  please  you  much 
better. 

These  are  names  of  some  of  the  different 
parts  of  the  whole  plant. 

Now  we  will  take  the  flower  by  itself,  and 
earn  the  names  of  its  organs. 

In  the  study  of  Botany,  these  organs  are 
very  important,  and  I  want  you  to  commit 
their  names  to  memory  perfectly,  and  be  able 
to  tell  in  an  instant,  when  you  see  one  of  the 
organs,  what  it  is  called. 

I  shall  not  be  able  to  get  along  without 
using  a  few  words  which,  it  may  be,  you  have 
never  heard  before.  But  they  are  not  very 
difficult,  I  think,  and  there  are  only  twelve  of 
them — just  a  dozen. 

Will  you  'remember  them  ?  Not  at  first, 
perhaps,  but  after  a  while,  you  will.  When 
you  have  noticed  very  attentively  each  organ 
by  itself,  and  given  its  name  every  time,  you 
can  tell  what  it  is,  without  looking  in  the  book, 
or  asking  any  body. 

Before  I  point  out  these  twelve  parts  of  the 

In  describing  the  different  organs  of  the  flower,  must 
we  use  any  words  that  are  not  generally  understood  ? 
If  so,  fire  there  many  of  them  ?     How  many  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  \"i 

flower,  I  will  give  you  their  names,  so  that, 
if  you  please,  you  can  commit  them  all  to 
memory. 

Here  they  are.     There  are  only  twelve  of 
them,  you  see. 

1.  Calyx,  7.  Pollen, 

2.  Corolla.  8.  Pistil, 

3.  Petal,  9.  Stigma, 

4.  Stamen,  10.  Style, 

5.  Filament,  11.  Germ, 

6.  Anther,  12.  Receptacle. 


CHAPTER  FOURTH. 

Now,  if  you  have  become  a  little  familiar 
with  these  names,  we  will  take  up  a  flower, 
and  see  if  we  cannot  find  the  organ  that  each 
name  belongs  to. 

I  think  we  will  not  use  the  same  plant  we 
had  before.  We  cannot  find  these  parts  so 
well  on  the  Buttercup  as  we  can  on  some 
other  flowers.     The  organs  are  some  of  them 

You  may  give  the  names    of  these  twelve   organs. 
In  looking  out  these  organs,  is  it  best  to  use  the  But- 
tercup ?     Why  not  ? 
2* 


18 


CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  .FLOWERS. 


so  small  on  the  Buttercup,  that  we  cannot  see 
them  so  well. 

Let  me  see.      Suppose  we  take  the  Lily* 
the  beautiful  white  Lilv.     You  have  seen  this 


flower.  It  is  one  of  the  queens  of  the  garden. 
Even  "  Solomon,  in  all  his  glory,  was  not  ar- 
rayed like  one  of  these." 

I  think  it  would  be  a  very  good  plan,  for 
children  to  take  a  pencil,  and  draw  the  differ- 
ent  pictures   that   are   used  in   Botany.      It 

Whdt  flower  shall  we  use  ?  What  will  help  children 
in  learning  to  remember  the  different  parts  of  plants  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  19 

would  help  them  a  good  deal  to  remember 
the  names  of  the  different  parts  of  flowers  and 
leaves.  Mr.  Holbrook,  of  New  York,  has 
prepared  a  set  of  drawing  cards  for  this  pur- 
pose, and  I  like  them  very  much. 

Look  now  at  the  engraved  picture  of  the 
Lily.  You  see  there  are  six  divisions,  or 
leaves,  as  you  would  call  them,  which  you 
know,  in  the  living  flower,  are  white. 

Well,  all  these  divisions  together  are  what 
we  call  the  Corolla  of  the  Lily. 

If  you  should  turn  back  to  the  Buttercup, 
which  we  were  talking  about  a  moment  ago, 
you  could  point  out  its  corolla  without  any 
difficulty.     That  is  yellow,  and  much  smaller. 

Most,  though  not  all  plants,  have  a  corolla, 
and  the  other  nine  organs  already  mentioned. 

The  separate  divisions  of  the  corolla  have 
also  a  name.     Each  one  is  called  a  Petal. 

In  the  Lily,  there  are  always  six  petals. 
The  Buttercup  has  only  five. 

How  many  divisions  are  there  in  the  flower  of  the 
Lily  ?  What  are  they  called  in  Botany  ?  What  is 
each  separate  division  of  the  corolla  called  ?  How 
many  petals  are  there  in  the  Lily?  How  many  in 
the  Buttercup  ? 


20  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

In  the  corolla  of  the  Lily,  you  notice  six 
little  stems,  with  heads  upon  them,  somewhat 
like  a  kernel  of  wheat. 

These  are  the  male  organs  of  the  flower. 
Each  one,  by  itself,  (I  mean  the  stem  and  the 
head  together,)  is  called  a  Stamen.  The  But- 
tercup has  a  good  many  stamens.  The  Lily 
has  always  six  only. 

The  stem  of  the  stamen  alone,  without  its 
head,  is  called  the  Filament. 

The  filament  of  the  Lily  is  long  and  slender. 
In  some  flowers  it  is  much  shorter,  and  some 
have  none  at  all,  but  this  little  head  sits  on  the 
bottom  of  the  corolla. 

The  name  of  that  little  head  on  the  top  of 
the  filament,  is  the  Anther. 

You  can  see  the  shape  of  it  very  plainly  on 
the  Lily.  The  Buttercup  has  so  small  an  an- 
ther, that  you  can  scarcely  tell  what  its  shape 
is  with  your  naked  eye,  and  this  is  one  reason 
why  I  preferred  to  examine  a  Lily. 

What  are  the  six  little  stems,  with  their  heads,  called 
iq  the  Lily  ?  What  can  you  say  about  the  stamens  of 
the  Buttercup  ?  What  is  the  stem  alone,  without  the 
head,  called  ?     What  is  the  name  of  the  head  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  2] 

The  anther  in  all  plants  is  covered  with  fine 
dust.     This  dust  is  called  the  Pollen. 

Look  at  the  Lily  again,  and  you  observe 
one  stem  longer  than  the  stamens  and  a  little 
larger.  This  is  the  female  part  cf  the  flower. 
Botanists  call  it  the  Pistil. 

The  pistil  has  a  head,  as  well  as  the  stamen, 
though  in  the  Lily  it  has  .a  very  different 
shape.  This  head  is  called  in  Botany  the 
Stigma. 

The  pollen,  or  fine  powder  from  the  six  an- 
thers in  the  Lily,  is  scattered  upon  the  stigma, 
and  this  produces  the  seed. 

So  it  is  in  all  plants  which  have  blossoms, 
or  corollas,  and  stamens  and  pistils.  The  pol- 
len must  fall  on  the  stigma,  to  make  the  seed. 

The  stem  of  the  pistil,  or  that  part  of  it 
which  looks  like  the  filament  of  the  stamen,  is 
called  the  Style. 

The  bottom  of  the  pistil  is  enlarged,  and 
forms  a  knob,  shaped  a  little  like  an  egg. 

You  cannot  see  this  knob  in  the  Lily,  unless 

What  is  the  name  of  the  dust  on  the  anther  ?  What 
is  the  name  of  the  stem  a  little  larger  than  the  stamens  ? 
What  is  its  head  called  ?  What  is  the  name  of  the 
stem,  without  the  heaJI     How  is  seed  produced  ? 


22  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

you  take  the  flower  apart.  If  you  will  do  so 
carefully,  you  will  find  this  little  organ,  and 
alter  the  plant  has  been  in  flower  some  time, 
it  contains  the  seeds.  This  organ  is  called 
the  Germ. 

Now  do  you  see  where  the  stem  of  the 
flower  is  joined  to  the  corolla  ?  The  stem  is 
flattened  a  little  at  that  place,  just  at  the  roots 
of  the  petals.  The  end  of  this  flower  stem  is 
the  Receptacle. 


CHAPTER  FIFTH. 

I  have  now  shown  you  eleven  of  the  organs 
which  Botanists  think  every  young  learner 
should  become  acquainted  writh.  I  have  told 
their  names,  so  that  I  think  you  will  remember 
them. 

But  you  remind  me  that  there  is  one  organ 
which  I  have  named,  and  have  not  pointed  out. 
I  know  it.    I  have  omitted  the  very  first  among 

What  is  the  name  of  the  knob,  at  the  bottom  of  the 
pistil  ?  What  organ  holds  the  seeds  ?  What  is  the 
end  of  the  flower  stem  called  ?  How  many  organs 
hav3  now  been  pointed  out? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY,  23 

those  which  I  said  I  wished  to  have  you  com- 
mit to  memory.     That  is  the  Calyx. 

I  will  tell  you  why  I  passed  by  it.  The 
Lily,  which  we  examined,  has  no  such  organ. 
It  has  a  very  pretty  corolla,  but  it  has  no  ca- 
lyx. So,  in  order  to  show  it  to  you,  we  shall 
have  to  get  another  plant  engraved. 

We  will  take  the  Morning  Glory.  That  has 
the  organ,  and  it  is  a  beautiful  flower,  too. 

How  charming  a  group  of  them  look,  as 
they  twine  around  the  cord  that  some  kind 
hand  has  prepared  for  them,  and  climb  up  to 
the  windows,  and  unfold  their  delicate  petals. 
Turn  over  a  leaf,  and  you  will  have  a  fine 
picture  of  a  Morning  Glory. 

Just  under  the  corolla  of  the  Morning  Glory, 
you  notice  something  like  a  cup,  in  which  the 
neck  of  the  flower  is  placed.  It  has  five 
separate  divisions,  or  teeth.  This  is  what 
Botanists  call  the  Calyx. 

In  different  plants  it  has  different  shapes. 

What  is  the  name  of  the  organ  which  has  been  passed 
by  ?  Why  was  it  passed  by  ?  Mention  a  plant  which 
has  this  organ.  What  can  you  say  about  the  Morning 
Glory  ?     Point  out  the  Calyx  on  the  Morning  Glory. 


2  I  J  1 

THE    MORNING    GLORY 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  25 

Some  plants,  as  you  perceive,  that  have  a 
corolla,  have  no  calyx. 

I  need  not  tell  you  whether  there  is  one  on 
the  Buttercup  or  not,  for  you  will  see  for 
yourself,  when  you  look  at  it. 

The  calyx  is  generally  of  a  green  color, 
though  not  always. 

I  have  dissected  the  Morning  Glory,  that  is, 
taken  it  apart,  so  as  to  show  its  different  or- 
gans more  distinctly.  In  the  engraving,  I 
have  shown  these  organs  separately.  They 
are  marked  with  figures. 

1.  The  Calyx.  It  is  flattened  out  in  the 
engraving,  so  that  it  does  not  look  as  it  does 
when  it  is  holding  the  corolla.  You  see  it  has 
five  parts. 

2.  The  Corolla.  In  the  Morning  Glory  it  is 
composed  of  one  single  petal. 

3.  The  Stamen.  There  are  five  of  them. 
When  the  flower  is  growing,  they  are  in  the 

Is  there  one  on  the  Buttercup  ?  What  is  generally 
the  color  of  the  calyx  ?  What  do  you  mean  by  dissect- 
ing a  plant?  How  many  parts  has  the  calyx  in  the 
Morning  Glory  ?  Can  you  point  to  the  calyx,  among 
the  dissected  parts  in  the  engraving  ?  The  Corolla  ? 
The  stamens  ? 
3 


26  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

throat   of  the   corolla,  so  that  they  are  not 
shown  in  the  picture  of  the  whole  plant. 

I  suppose  it  is  not  necessary  to  tell  you  the 
name  of  the  little  head  on  the  top  of  these  sta- 
mens, is  it  ? 

4.  The  Pistil.  This  is  also  hidden  in  the 
tube  of  the  corolla,  but  here  you  see  it  just  as 
it  appears,  when  we  dissect  the  flower. 

You  may  give  the  name  of  the  top  of  the 
pistil ;  of  the  pillar  which  holds  it  up  ;  and  the 
little  round  organ  at  the  base. 

In  the  classifying  of  plants,  Botanists  have 
a  great  deal  to  do  with  stamens  and  pistils. 
On  this  account,  you  will  not  wonder 
if  I  wish  to  make  you  very  familiar 
with  them.  So  we  will  make  a  se- 
parate engraving  of  a  stamen  and  a 
pistil,  and  you  may  look  at  each  one 
by  itself,  and  see  how  they  differ. 
Here  is  a  Stamen  all  alone.  It  is  one 
that  came  from  the  Lily.     You  can 


Can  you  point  to  the  Pistil,  and  its  different  parts  ? 

What  are  so  important  in  the  study  of  Botany  ?  What 

do  you  call  this  organ,  standing  alone  ?     What  flower 
does  it  belong  to  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IX  BOTANY. 


27 


see  the  whole  of  it  now.  When  it  was  in 
the  picture  of  the  flower,  with  the  rest  of  the 
stamens,  you  could  see  only  about  half  of  it. 
The  Lily  has  very  long  stamens.  You  must 
not  expect  to  find  them  so  long  in  all  flowers. 

Here  is  a  picture  of  a  Pistil. 
This  too  belongs  to  the  Lily.  If 
you  will  look  back  a  few  pages, 
and  find  the  Lily,  you  cannot  help 
noticing  that  the  pistil  there  looks 
like  this.  But  you  cannot  see  all 
of  the  pistil  in  the  whole  flower, 
because  the  corolla  hides  a  part  of 
it.  Here  is  the  whole  pistil.  Even 
the  Germ  is  in  sight.  The  germ,  you  know,  is 
that  roundish  organ,  which  lies  at  the  bottom 
of  the  style.  The  Style  is  the  stem  of  the  pis- 
til, as  you  have  been  told.  If  I  should  ask 
you  what  the  head  of  the  pistil  is  called,  you 
would  say  it  is  a  Stigma. 

You  see  there  is  a  great  difference  between 
the  stamen  and  the  pistil  of  the  Lily.    So  there 

Are  the  stamens  of  the  Lily  long  or  short  ?  What 
do  you  call  the  other  organ,  standing  alone  ?  You  can 
see  the  germ  here.  Will  you  point  it  out  ?  The  style, 
too,  nnd  the  stigma? 


28 


CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 


is  in  all  flowers.  You  will  not  have  much 
difficulty  in  telling  them  apart.  You  may 
generally  know  the  stamen  by  its  pollen.  The 
pistil  has  no  pollen. 

I  will  now  take  up  the  Lily 
|!?\*^5a  again,  and  strip  off  the  corolla, 
so  that  every  part  of  the  sta- 
mens and  pistils  will  be  in 
sight  at  once,  and  so  that  you 
can  see  just  how  they  look, 
when  separated  from  the  rest 
of  the  flower. 

There  are  always  six  sta- 
mens and  one  pistil  in  the  Lily. 
You  can  see  them  very  plainly 
I  have  only  taken  off  the  corolla,  and 
left  the  other  parts  of  the  flower  standing  just 
as  they  did  when  the  whole  plant  was  grow- 
ing in  the  garden.  You  can  see  now  how  the 
germ  grows  at  the  bottom  of  the  corolla. 

Perhaps  you  will  wonder  why  I  have  said 
so  much  about  stamens  and  pistils.     I  know  I 

Is  there  much  difficulty  in  telling  stamens  and  pistils 
apart  ?  What  is  there  on  the  anther  that  is  not  on  the 
stigma?  Now  you  may  point  out  the  different  organst 
and  call  them  by  name,  on  this  whole  picture. 


here. 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  fjj 

have  had  a  good  deal  to  say  about  them. 
But  there  are  no  other  organs  of  so  mucn  con- 
sequence in  the  study  of  Botany  as  these,  as 
you  will  see  by  and  by,  when  we  come  to 
arrange  the  plants  in  their  classes  and  orders. 


CHAPTER  SIXTH. 

If  we  examine  a  handful  of  different  flowers, 
taken  from  the  field  or  gar- 
den, we  perceive  at  a  glance 
that  the  corollas  have  many 
different  shapes. 

Each  of  these  shapes  Bo- 
tanists have  named ;  but  I 
shall  not  trouble  you  with 
many  of  these  names. 

The  shape  of  the  corolla 
in  this  engraving  is  funnel- 
form.  We  have  already 
examined  a  plant  with  such 
a   corolla.      The    Morning 


Have    corollas    many  different   shapes  ? 
something  about  thes~"  shapes. 


Tell    us 


3* 


30  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

Glory  has  a  blossom  which  is  called  funnel- 
form. 

So  whenever  you  find  a  flower  with  this 
shape,  you  will  knowT  how  to  describe  it. 

Some  of  the  necks  of  the  flowers  which  are 
funnel-shaped,  are  so  long  and  slender,  that  the 
bee  cannot  get  down  to  the  bottom  of  them, 
where  the  honey  is.  But  when  the  humming- 
bird comes  along,  you  will  see  him  thrust  his 
slender  bill  into  it.  You  may  be  sure  of  it. 
And  he  will  not  be  a  great  while  about  it, 
neither.  His  bill  looks  as  if  it  was  made  on 
purpose  for  such  flowers.  What  a  beautiful 
sight  it  is,  to  look  at  the  humming-bird,  as  he 
flutters  around  the  flowers  near  the  window. 

The  humming-bird  must  be  a  good  Botanist, 
I  think  ;  for  he  examines  a  great  many  flowers 
in  the  course  of  a  single  summer. 

Here  is  an  engraving  which  is 
designed  to  represent  another 
shape.  Every  flower  in  this  form 
we  call  bell-shaped. 

Botanists    generally  give   it   a 

What  is  the  shape  of  the  Morning  Glory  ?  What 
is  said  about  the  bee  ?  What  is  said  about  the  hum- 
ming-bird ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  3] 

harder  name  ;  but  this  will  do  very  well  fo. 
us. 

There  is  a  beautiful  plant  which  you  will 
see  in  very  wild  places,  often  hanging  from 
the  cleft  of  high  rocks.  It  has  a  delicate  blue 
flower.  That  is  bell-shaped.  Indeed  it  is 
called  the  Bell  Flower. 

I  have  seen  the  sweet  little  thing,  in  all. its 
beauty,  on  the  tall  cliffs  of  Montmorency,  near 
Quebec,  in  Canada,  and  smiling  as  its  delicate 
face  was  kissed  by  the  spray  from  the  thun- 
dering cataract. 

This  picture  represents  a 
corolla  which  is  lip-shaped. 
You  see  the  divisions  appear 
like  two  tips. 

The  Nettle,  a  very  trouble- 
some weed,  has  a  corolla  of 
this  form. 

So  has  the  Verbena,  a  plant  much  admired 
in  the  garden,  one  species  of  which  is  very 
fragrant. 


What  is  the  shape  of  the  Bell  Flower  ?     What  flov  ■ 
ers  are  said  to  be  lip-shaped  ? 


32 


CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 


Here  is  a  curious  looking 
corolla.  But  there  are  a 
great  many  plants  which 
have  such,  and  some  are 
very  useful,  too.  They  are 
called  butterfly-shaped. 

The  Pea  has  such  a  blos- 
som, you  know.  So  has  the 
Bean. 

All  plants,  or  nearly  all, 
with  flowers  shaped  in  this 
manner,  bear  some  kind  of 
a  pod,  which  encloses  their 
seeds. 

But  we  shall  have  more  to  say  about  this, 
when  we  come  to  the  class  to  which  most 
flowers  of  this  shape  belong.  They  are  nearly 
all  in  one  class. 


What  is  the  shape  of  the  corolla  of  the  Pea  and  iak 
Bean  ?     Are  there  many  flowers  that  have  such  shapes  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY. 


3? 


CHAPTER  SEVENTH. 

Now  shall  I  tell  you  something  about  the 
different  kinds  of  heaves  ?  You  have  noticed, 
no  doubt,  what  a  great  difference  there  is  in 
the  shape  of  leaves.  Well,  it  is  necessary 
to  learn  how  to  describe  leaves  as  well  as 
flowers. 

So  we  will  look  at  some,  and  if  we  can  tell 
how  they  look,  without  giving  them  any  hard 
names,  we  will  do  so. 

Here  is  a  very  common  leaf. 
The  common  Plantain  has  such 
a  leaf.  So  has  the  Apple-tree, 
only  the  leaf  of  the  Apple-tree  is 
notched  on  the  edges.  The  one 
in  the  engraving  has  no  notches 
on  it. 

%  We  will  call  this,  if  you  please, 
egg-shaped,  for  Botanists  gener- 
ally call  it  by  a  word  in  Latin  which  means 
the  same  thing. 


Have  leaves  many  shapes  ?  What  is  the  shape  of 
the  common  Plantain  leaf?  Mention  another  leaf  of 
the  same  shape. 


34 


CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 


Sometimes  leaves  are  egg- 
shaped,  but  the  smaller  end  is 
fastened  to  the  stem,  instead  of 
the  larger  end. 

This  is  not  so  common,  but 
some  grow  in  this  manner.  Such 
leaves  are  inversely  egg-shaped. 
Some  forest  trees  have  leaves 
like  this. 


Some  plants  have  leaves  which 
are  almost  egg-shaped,  but  both 
ends  are  very  nearly  of  the  same 
width. 

One  of  the  species  of  the  Mag- 
nolia tree,  which  grows  wild  in  New 
Jersey,  has  such  a  leaf.  The  shape 
is  called  oval. 

The  Magnolia  has  a  beautiful 
white  flower,  which  is  very  fragrant. 
It  grows  in  wet  places,  and  we  often 
have  to  wade  for  it. 


What    is    meant    by   a  leaf   being    inversely  egg- 
shaped  ?     What  is  an  oval  leaf? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN   BOTANY. 


35 


Here  is  another  leaf  which  is 
oval.  It  differs  from  the  first, 
however.  The  two  ends  are 
broader  and  the  upper  end  is  not 
pointed.  Both  are  oval,  because 
the  two  ends  in  each  are  nearly 
of  the  same  width.  One  of  the 
species  of  Milkweed  has  this  kind 
of  oval  leaf. 

When  a  leaf  is  formed  like 
the  one  in  this  picture,  it  is 
called  halberd-shaped. 

The  lower  -leaves  of  the 
White  Lettuce,  in  the  garden, 
are  examples  of  this  shape. 

I  suppose  you  never  saw 
a  halberd.  I  never  saw  one 
myself,  though  I  believe  it  is 
a  kind  of  spear,  formerly  used 
in  war. 

There  is  one  species  of  the 
Knot-weed  which  has  a  halberd-shaped  leaf. 
It  grows  in  wet  places.     This  is  the  leaf  itself. 


Can  you  tell  anything  about  halberd-shaped  leaves? 
What  plant  has  leaves  of  this  shape  ? 


36 


CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 


Did  you  ever  notice  a  leaf 
like  this  ?  There  is  a  very 
common,  though  not  much 
admired  plant,  which  has  it. 

Perhaps  you  can  tell  what 
it  is.     It  has  little  round  burs 
on   it,  which  sometimes  stick 
fast  to  our  clothes,  when  we 
walk  in  the  fall  of  the  year. 

It  is  the  Burdock,  and  all  such 
leaves  as  this  plant  has,  are  heart- 
shaped.  I  think,  if  you  will  look 
at  the  leaf  of  the  Lilac,  you  will 
find  that  heart-shaped. 

This  is  a  picture  of  an  arrow- 
shaped  leaf.  The  Sorrel  leaf 
is  something  like  it,  you  know. 

But  one  of  the  best  examples 
of  this  shape,  perhaps,  is  the 
plant  called  the  Arrow-head.  It 
grows  in  wet  places,  often  on 
the   edge   of    ponds   and    small 


Are  there  any  heart-shaped  leaves?  What  plants 
have  such  ?  Tell  us  what  you  know  about  arrow-shaped 
leaves 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY 


37 


h 


streams,  and  bears  a  pretty  white  blos- 
som. You  will  often  find  it  where  the  beau- 
tiful White  Pond  Lily  grows,  though  it  does 
not  like  to  have  the  water  quite  so  deep  as  the 
Pond  Lily  does. 

You  have  all  seen  the  plant  which 
grows  around  houses  in  the  country, 
called  the  Plantain. 

Well,  this  is  not  the  leaf  which  is 
given  in  this  engraving.  But  the 
common  Plantain  has  a  sister,  which, 
perhaps,  you  have  not  noticed.  It 
looks  a  little  like  it,  but  the  leaf  is  not 
so  wide,  and  is  a  great  deal  longer. 

This  is  the  kind  of  leaf  which  we 
call  lance-shaped.  You  see  it  in  the 
engraving.  This  is  notched,  to  be 
sure,  though  the  Plantain-leaf  is  not.  But  that 
makes  no  difference.  Lance-shaped  leaves 
sometimes  have  notches,  and  sometimes  they 
have  none. 


What  plant  has  a  lance-shaped  leaf?     Are  lance- 
sbnped  leaves  always  notched  on  their  edjjes  ? 


38 


CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS 


CHAPTER  EIGHTH. 

I  have  a  great  mind  to 
take  up  another  chapter 
with  leaves.  Here  is  a 
hand-shaped  leaf.  It  looks 
like  a  hand,  you  see. 

I  cannot  think  of  many 
plants  that  have  a  leaf  of 
this  kind ;  the  Passion-flower  has  such  leaves, 
but  it  may  be  you  never  saw  a  Passion-flower. 
It  is  a  house-plant,  and  very  beautiful. 

When  leaves  are  cut 
into  divisions  like  this, 
they  are  said  to  be  lobed. 
These  divisions  are  the 
lobes  of  the  leaf. 

One  of  the  earliest  wild 
flowers  of  Spring  has  a 
leaf  which  is  divided  into  three  lobes.  The 
flower  is  blue,  and  its  common  name  is  Liver- 
leaf. 

Some  people  call  it  Liverwort,  though  that 

Wbat  plant  has  a  band-shaped  leaf?  What  is  a  lobe, 
in  a  leaf?  What  are  leaves  that  have  lobes  called  ? 
Name  something  that  is  lobed. 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY. 


39 


is  not  its  proper  name.  The  Liverwort  is 
quite  another  thing. 

If  you  should  ever  fall 
in  company  with  such  a 
looking  leaf  as  this,  (and  I 
cannot  doubt  vou  will.) 
you  may  call  it  foot-shaped. 
This  is  the  meaning  of  the 
Latin  name  which  has  been 
given  to  it,  though  possibly  you  will  wonder 
what  animal  there  is  that  carries  about  such  a 
queer-looking  foot. 

This  is  ^finger-shaped 
leaf.  It  has  five  deep 
lobes.  I  remember  se- 
veral plants  that  have 
such  leaves.  '  But  verv 
likely  you  are  not  fa- 
miliar with  them,  so  it 
would  do   no   good   to 

call  them  by  name.  When  you  see  such 
a  leaf,  however,  you  will  know  what  to 
call  it. 


What  can   you  say  about   foot-shaped   and    finger- 
shaped  leaves  ? 


40 


CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 


You  often  see  leaves  growing 
opposite  each  other,  like  the 
arms  on  the  human  body,  or  the 
wings  on  a  bird.  There  is  one 
of  this  kind  in  the  drawing. 
Rose  leaves  grow  in  this  man- 
ner.    They  are  winged. 

Here  is  another  leaf.  I  hardly 
know  what  we  shall  call  this  ;  but  I 
promised  you  to  avoid  the  Latin 
words  as  much  as  possible,  because 
I  know  children  love  plain  English. 
Let  me  see.  We  will  call  this  leaf 
lobe-winged.  I  see  you  laugh  at  my 
"  plain  English,"  but  I  assure  you  I  have  done 
the  best  I  could.  The  wild  Peppergrass  is  an 
example  of  this  leaf. 

Leaves  and  flowers  have  a  great  many 
more  shapes  than  those  I  have  mentioned.  I 
hope  at  some  future  time  you  will  know  them 
all.  But  you  need  not  learn  the  names  of  any 
more  now. 


How  do  leaves  look  that  are  winged?     What  is  the 
notched  leaf  of  the  Peppergrass  called  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  41 

CHAPTER  NINTH. 

It  is  time  for  us  to  begin  to  analyze  plants, 
and  classify  them. 

I  will  suppose  now  that  you  have  been 
walking  with  me  in  the  forest  and  meadow, 
and  that  we  have  found  and  gathered  a  good 
many  different  plants. 

We  sit  down  to  rest  under  the  shadow  of 
some  tree,  an  oak  tree,  if  you  please.  We 
have  frightened  away  the  ground-squirrel, 
who  has  come  here  to  carry  off  the  acorns. 
No  matter.  He  will  have  time  enough  before 
winter,  to  lay  up  his  cellar  full  of  food. 

Look  at  one  of  these 
acorns.  It  is  a  small  thing, 
a  very  small  thing,  and  yet 
this  proud  oak,  with  timber 
enough  in  it  to  build  a  vessel, 
was  once  a  little  acorn. 

It  came  up  out  of  the 
ground,  and  it  grew,  and  grew,  until  it  has 


What  is  said  about  the  ground-squirrel  ?      Has  he 

much  to  do  with  Botany,  do  you  think  ?     What  can  you 

spy  about  the  acorn  ? 
4* 


42  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

become  the  largest  tree  in  the  whole  woods. 
No  human  mind  can  tell  how  it  lifts  its  form 
toward  heaven.  Who  made  it  grow  ?  Who 
taught  it  to  spread  its  arms  so  wide,  and  who 
gave  it  its  strength  ? 

My  child,  when  we  see  such  proofs  of  the 
wisdom  and  the  power  of  God,  how  can  we 
help  saying  in  our  hearts,  "  Great  and  mar- 
vellous are  thy  works,  Lord  God  Almighty : 
all  thy  works  praise  thee  ! " 

We  must  have  proud  and  very  hard  hearts, 
if  we  can  be  familiar  with  Botany,  and  not  be 
awed  into  reverence  by  God's  greatness,  and 
melted  into  love  in  view  of  his  goodness. 
.  But  we  must  talk  about  the  flowers  you 
have  collected. 

Every  plant  in  your  hands  is  ranked  undei 
a  class,  an  order,  a  genus,  a  species,  and  per- 
haps a  variety.  All  the  vegetable  world  "is  so 
divided. 

The  Violet  in  your  hand,  the  Oak  towering 

so  high  above  your  head,  as  well  as  the  Moss. 
/ 

What  can  you  say  about  the  oak  tree  ?  How  should 
we  feel  toward  Him  who  made  the  oak  tree  ?  How 
are  all  vegetables  divided  ?     Repeal  the  divisions. 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  43 

the  Fern,  and  the  Mushroom,  are  all  placed 
under  some  one  of  these  different  classes  and 
orders. 

Now  a  great  part  of  the  study  of  Botany 
consists  in  learning  how  to  classify  plants.  So 
you  will  remember  these  great  divisions. 

1.  Class, 

2.  Order, 

3.  Genus, 

4.  Species, 

5.  Variety. 

In  analyzing  a  plant,  (as  Botanists  call  the 
task  of  observing  it,  so  as  to  know  what  it  is,) 
you  are  first  to  find  its  class,  then  its  order, 
then  its  genus,  then  its  species,  and  if  it  has 
different  varieties,  its  variety. 

Generally,  when  you  find  the  species  of  a 
plant,  you  have  its  name.  Most  species  have 
not  different  varieties. 

A  variety  is  made  usually  by  cultivation. 
Some  garden  flowers  and  fruit  trees  have  a 
great  many  varieties. 

What  do  you   find  in  analyzing  a  plant?  What 

next?      What    next?      What   next?      What  next? 

Have  all  species  of  plants  different  varieties  ?  How 
are  varieties  usually  formed? 


44  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

The  Dahlia,  for  instance,  has  several  hun- 
dreds. So  have  the  Apple,  the  Pear,  and  the 
Peach. 

But  wild  flowers  have  not.  generally  differ- 
ent varieties. 

When  we  speak  of  more  than  one  genus, 
we  use  the  word  genera.  So  we  say  the  fifth 
class,  for  example,  has  a  good  many  genera 
in  it. 


CHAPTER  TENTH. 

There  are  two  ways  of  classifying  plants. 
One  is  called  the  Natural  System — the  other, 
the  Artificial  System. 

The  genera  and  the  species,  however,  are 
the  same  in  both.  The  difference  is,  that  they 
do  not  begin  alike. 

In  the  natural  system,  plants  are  put  into 
classes   and  orders,   according  to  their  seed 

Mention  some  plants  that  have  several  varieties. 
What  word  do  we  use  when  we  speak  of  more  than 
one  genus  ?  What  two  ways  are  there  of  classifying 
plants  ?      What  is  the  natural   system  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY  45 

organs — in  the  artificial  system,  according  to 
the  stamens  and  pistils. 

Both  these  systems  are  good.  I  think,  how- 
ever, that  the  better  for  you,  at  present,  is  the 
artificial  system. 

The  plan  of  classing  plants  in  this  way,  was 
first  thought  of  by  Linnceus.  He  was  a  very 
learned  man,  and  did  a  great  deal  of  service 
to  the  world  by  writing  about  plants.  He 
was  born  in  Sweden,  in  1707,  and  died  in 
1778. 

In  this  system  of  Linnaeus,  it  makes  no  dif- 
ference whether  plants  look  alike  in  other  re- 
spects, or  not ;  or  whether  they  are  large  or 
small.  If  they  agree  in  their  stamens  and 
pistils,  they  are  arranged  in  the  same  class 
and  order. 

I  remember  a  little  flower,  not  higher  than 
the  length  of  your  finger,  that  is  classed  with 
a  pretty  large  tree. 

On  this  account,  some  people  do  not  like  the 
system,  at  all.  But  I  think  it  easier  and  better 
for  you  to  begin  with,  than  the  other. 

What  is  the  artificial  system  ?  Which  is  the  better 
for  us  now?  Who  first  thought  of  the  artificial  sys- 
tem '     When  and  where  did  lie  live  ? 


46  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

Still,  if  you  have  any  notion  of  being  a  Pro- 
fessor of  Botany  in  College,  I  would  recom- 
mend to  you  by  all  means  to  learn  the  natural 
system.  But  you  need  not  be  in  a  hurry  yet 
about  being  a  Professor. 

You  can  now  see  why  it  is  that  I  wanted 
you  to  pay  so  much  attention  to  the  stamens 
and  pistils.  These  are  the  organs  that  are  to 
guide  us  in  finding  out  the  class  and  order  of 
every  plant  we  meet  with. 

The  system  of  Linnaeus  has  been  altered  a 
little,  and  I  shall  explain  it  to  you  wTith  the 
alterations  that  have  been  made. 


CHAPTER  ELEVENTH. 

There  are  twenty-one  classes.  All  these 
classes  have  different  orders.  Some  have  few, 
and  some  many. 

The  first  question  to  be  answered,  when  you 
take  up   a  plant   in   its  flowering  season,  to 

Why  did  we  have  so  much  to  say  a  while  ago  about 
stamens  and  pistils  ?  How  many  classes  are  there  ? 
What  about  the  or  Jers  in  their  classes  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  47 

analyze  it,  is  whether  you  can  see  any  stamens 
and  pistils  on  it  with  your  naked  eye. 

If  you  cannot  see  any — if  it  has  no  stamens 
and  pistils — then  the  plant,  whatever  its  name 
may  be,  belongs  to  the  twenty-first  class. 

If  you  can  see  its  stamens  and  pistils,  then 
it  belongs  to  some  one  of  the  other  classes. 

In  the  first  ten  classes,  we  tell  the  class  by 
the  number  of  the  stamens,  and  the  order  by 
the  number  of  pistils. 

The  name  of  the  class  is  just  the  same  as 
the  number  of  the  stamens  ;  and  the  name  of 
the  order  is  the  same  as  the  number  of  the 
pistils. 

If  the  flower  has  one  stamen,  then  it  belongs 
to  the  first  class. 

If  it  has  two  stamens,  it  belongs  to  the 
second  class. 

If  it  has  three  stamens,  it  belongs  to  the 
third  class. 

What  is  the  first  question  to  be  asked,  when  you  take 
up  a  flower  to  analyze  it  ?  What  then  ?  What  if  a 
plant  has  stamens  and  pistils?  In  the  first  ten  classes, 
how  do  we  tell  the  class  ?  How  the  order  ?  If  a 
flower  has  one  stamen,  what  class  is  it  in  ?  Two  ? 
Three  ? 


48  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

If  it  has  four  stamens,  it  .belongs  to  the 
fourth  class. 

If  it  has  five  stamens,  it  belongs  to  the  fifth 
class. 

H  it  has  six  stamens,  it  belongs  to  the  sixth 
class. 

If  it  has  seven  stamens,  it  belongs  to  the 
seventh  class. 

If  it  has  eight  stamens,  it  belongs  to  the 
eighth  class. 

If  it  has  nine  stamens,  it  belongs  to  the 
ninth  class. 

If  it  has  ten  stamens,  it  belongs  to  the  tenth 
class. 

There  is  one  thing  to  be  noticed,  however, 
about  two  of  these  classes.  I  mean  the  fourth 
class  and  the  sixth  class.  If  you  find  any 
flowers  with  four  stamens,  and  two  of  them 
are  longer  than  the  other  two,  then  the  flower 
does  not  belong  to  the  fourth  class. 

And  so,  if  you  should  find  that  a  flower  had 
six  stamens,  four  of  them  longer  than  the 
other  two,  you  must  not  put  it  into  the  sixth 

If  a  flower  has  four  stamens,  what  class  is  it  in  ? 
Five?     Six?     Seven?     Eight?     Nine?     Ten? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  49 

class,  with  the  rest  of  the  flowers  that  have 
six  stamens. 

Flowers  of  four  or  six  stamens,  must  then 
have  their  stamens  of  nearly  or  quite  the  same 
length,  or  they  do  not  belong  to  the  fourth  or 
sixth  class. 


CHAPTER  TWELFTH. 

Now  you  perceive  that  it  is  very  easy  to 

tell  any  of  the  first  ten  classes.     Well,  it  is 

1 

just  as  easy  to  tell  the  orders  into  which  these 
classes  are  divided. 

When  you  have  found  that  a  flower  belongs 
to  any  one  of  these  first  ten  classes,  then, 

If  it  has  one  pistil,  it  belongs  to  the  first 
order. 

If  it  has  two  pistils,  it  belongs  to  the  second 
order. 

If  it  has  three  pistils,  it  belongs  to  the  third 
order. 


What  have  you  to  say  about  the  flowers  with  four 
and  six  stamens  ?  Suppose,  now,  a  flower  belongs  to 
nny  one  of  the  first  ten  classes.  Then,  if  it  has  one 
pistil,  what  order  is  it  in  ?     Two  ?     Three  ? 


50  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

If  it  has  four  pistils,  it  belongs  to  the  fourth 
order. 

If  it  has  five  pistils,  it  belongs  to  the  fifth 
order. 

If  it  has  six  pistils,  it  belongs  to  the  sixt 
order. 

If  it  has  seven  pistils,  it  belongs  to  the 
seventh  order. 

If  it  has  eight  pistils,  it  belongs  to  the  eighth 
order. 

If  it  has  nine  pistils,  it  belongs  to  the  ninth 
order. 

If  it  has  ten  pistils,  it  belongs  to  the  tenth 
order. 

But  we  will  talk  no  more  about  orders,  until 
we  get  through  with  the  remaining  classes. 

This  rule  about  the  number  of  stamens  be- 
ing the  same  with  the  name  of  the  class,  does 
not  go  beyond  the  tenth  class.  The  remain- 
ing ones  are  formed  differently. 

If  a  flower  has  more  than  ten  stamens,  and 


If  it  has  four  pistils,  what  order  is  it  in?  Five? 
Six?  Seven?  Eight?  Nine?  Ten?  In  forming 
classes  according  to  the  number  of  stamens,  do  we  go 
any  further  than  ten  stamens  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  5} 

they  grow  out  of  the  calyx,  it  belongs  to  the 
eleventh  class. 

If  it  has  more  than  ten  stamens,  growing 
out  of  the  receptacle,  or  head  of  the  flower 
stalk,  it  belongs  to  the  twelfth  class. 

If  a  plant  has  four  stamens,  two  long  and 
two  short,  it  belongs  to  the  thirteenth  class. 

If  it  has  six  stamens,  four  long  and  two 
short,  it  belongs  to  the  fourteenth  class. 

If  a  plant  has  stamens  joined  together  by  its 
filaments,  in  one  bundle,  it  belongs  to  the  fif- 
teenth class. 

If  its  stamens  are  joined  together,  by  their 
filaments,  in  two  bundles,  it  belongs  to  the  six- 
teenth class. 

If  the  stamens  of  a  plant  are  joined  together 
by  their  anthers,  instead  of  their  filaments,  it 
belongs  to  the  seventeenth  class. 

If  its  stamens  grow  out  of  the  pistil,  it  be- 
longs to  the  eighteenth  class. 

If  the  stamens  only  are  on  one  corolla,  and 
the  pistils  only  on  another  corolla  of  the  same 

How  do  you  know  the  eleventh  class  1  Describe  the 
twelfth  class.  The  thirteenth.  The  fourteenth.  The 
fifteenth.  The  sixteenth.  The  seventeenth.  The 
eighteenth. 


52  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS- 

plant,  then  the  plant  belongs  to  the  nineteenth 
class. 

If  the  stamens  on*y  are  on  one  plant,  and 
the  pistils  only  on  another  plant,  the  flower 
belongs  to  the  twentieth  class. 

If  the  stamens  and  pistils  of  a  plant  cannot 
be  seen,  when  it  is  carefully  examined,  and 
you  are  satisfied  that  it  has  none,  it  belongs  to 
the  twenty-first  class. 

I  have  already  told  you  how  we  make  the 
orders  in  the  first  ten  classes.  The  orders  in 
the  eleventh  and  twelfth  classes  are  formed  in 
the  same  way. 


CHAPTER  THIRTEENTH. 

You  will  wish  to  know  something  about  the 
orders  in  the  remaining  nine  classes. 

The  thirteenth  class  has  only  two  orders. 
Plants  belonging  to  this  class,  which  have 


Describe  the  nineteenth  class.    The  twentieth.    The 
twenty-first.     How  are  the  orders  in  the  eleventh  and 
welfth  classes  formed  ?     How  many  orders  in  the  thir- 
teenth class  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANYT  53 

very  few  seeds,  lying  naked  in  the  bottom  of 
the  calyx,  are  of  the  first  order. 

Those  which  have  a  good  many  seeds,  all 
covered  in  some  kind  of  vessel,  belong  to  the 
second  order. 

In  the  fourteenth  class,  there  are  also  but 
two  orders. 

The  first  order  has  its  fruit  or  seed  in  a 
roundish  pod. 

The  second  order  has  its  fruit  or  seed  in  a 
long  pod. 

In  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  classes,  we 
make  the  orders  according  to  the  number  of 
the  stamens  ;  that  is,  if  the  plant  is  in  either  of 
these  classes,  we  count  the  stamens,  to  tell 
what  order  it  belongs  to.  But  the  number  of 
the  stamens  is  not  always  the  same  as  the 
number  of  the  order.  That  is,  if  it  has  three 
stamens,  it  does  not  belong  to  the  third  order ; 
and  if  it  has  four  stamens,  it  does  not  belong 
to  the  fourth  order. 


How  do  you  know  the  orders  in  the  thirteenth  class  ? 
How  many  orders  are  there  in  the  fourteenth  class  ? 
How  do  you  tell  these  orders  apart?  How  do  we 
make  the  orders  in  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  classes? 


54  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

I  will  tell  you  how  the  orders  are  numbered 
in  the  fifteenth  class. 

The  first  order  has  three  stamens. 

The  second  order  has  five  stamens. 

The  third  order  has  seven  stamens. 

The  fourth  orde    has  eight  stamens. 

The  fifth  order  has  ten  stamens. 

The  sixth  order  has  more  than  ten  stamens 

In  the  sixteenth  class, 

The  first  order  has  five  stamens. 

The  second  order  has  six  stamens. 

The  third  order  has  eight  stamens. 

The  fourth  order  has  ten  stamens. 

In  the  seventeenth  class,  there  are  five 
orders.  I  cannot  teach  you  how  you  may  tell 
these  orders  apart,  until  you  understand  what 
is  meant  by  a  floret. 

Flowers  in  this  class  are  compound,  that  is, 
they  are  composed  of  several  little  parts, 
which  are  themselves  very  much  like  separate 

What  are  the  orders  of  the  fifteenth  class  ?  What 
are  those  of  the  sixteenth?  How  many  orders  in  the 
seventeenth  class  ?  What  do  you  mean  by  a  compound 
flower?  Are  the  plants  in  this  class  usually  com- 
pound ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  55 

flowers.  They  may  have  a  corolla,  a  calyx, 
and  even  stamens  and  pistils,  of  their  own. 

These  little  flowers  within  the  whole  flower, 
are  called  florets. 

Now,  if  a  plant  belongs  to  the  seventeenth 
class,  and  each  floret  has  a  stamen,  a  pistil, 
and  one  seed,  then  it  should  be  placed  under 
the  first  order.     Such  plants  are  called  perfect. 

If  the  florets  of  the  centre  of  the  whole 
flower  or  head  are  perfect,  and  the  florets  of 
the  margin  or  outside  have  only  pistils,  the 
plant  belongs  to  the  second  order.  These 
florets  on  the  outside,  are  called  superfluous, 
because  they  have  no  stamens  in  company 
with  their  pistils. 

Compound  flowers,  with  their  centre  florets 
perfect,  and  the  florets  of  the  margin  without 
either  stamens  or  pistils,  belong  to  the  third 
order. 

Those  that  have  stamens  on  the  centre 
florets,  and  pistils  on  the  outside  ones,  belong 
to  the  fourth  order. 

Compound  flowers,  with  florets  separated 

What  do  you  mean  by  a  floret  ?  Describe  the  fi  1st 
order  in  the  seventeenth  class.  The  second.  The 
third.     The  fourth.     The  fifth. 


56  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS 

from  each  other  by  a  calyx  of  their  own.  are 
placed  in  the  fifth  order. 

The  orders  of  the  eighteenth,  nineteenth, 
and  twentieth  classes,  are  formed  by  the  num- 
ber of  stamens,  just  as  they  are  in  the  fifteenth 
and  sixteenth  classes. 

There  are  six  orders  in  the  twenty-first 
class.  Perhaps  you  will  think  there  is  so  little 
beauty  in  the  plants  belonging  to  this  class, 
that  you  will  not  be  paid  for  examining  them. 
But  when  you  come  to  notice  them  carefully, 
you  will  not  think  so. 

The  first  order  of  the  twenty-first  class  in- 
cludes the  Ferns. 

The  second  contains  the  Mosses. 

The  third  contains  the  Liverworts.  You 
will  see  them  growing  on  the  stones  inside  of 
old  wells. 

The  fourth  contains  the  Sea-weeds. 

The  fifth  contains  the  Lichens,  growing  on 
bark  of  trees,  old  walls,  and  dry  wood. 

How  do  you  form  the  orders  in  the  eighteenth,  nine- 
teenth, and  twentieth  classes  ?  How  many  orders  in 
the  twenty-first  class?  What  does  the  first  order  con- 
tain? The  second?  The  third  ?  The  fourth?  The 
fifth?     The  sixth? 


FIRST   LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  57 

The  sixth,  the  Mush?*ooms,  or  toadstools,  as 
they  are  called. 


CHAPTER  FOURTEENTH. 

When  we  have  learned  the  class  and  order 
of  a  plant,  the  next  thing  is  to  find  out  its 
genus  and  species  ;  and  then  we  know  what 
its  name  is. 

This  book  is  so  small,  that  I  cannot  tell  you 
everything  about  Botany,  and  I  should,  not 
wonder  if  you  was  so  small,  that  you  could  not 
learn  everything  about  Botany,  if  I  should  put 
it  in  my  book.  So  there  are  two  very  good 
reasons  why  I  should  leave  some  things  for 
another  time. 

Another  time  !  How  little  do  we  know  what 
we  s*hall  do  at  another  time  !  Perhaps  I  shall 
not  live  to  make  another  book.  Perhaps,  too, 
my  little  friends  will  not  like  this  book  very 
well.  So  I  can  only  say,  if  this  one  pleases 
you,  I  hope  to  be  able  to  make  a  larger  one 
for  vou. 


After  we  have  found  the  class  and  order  of  a  plant, 
what  is  the  next  thins;? 


58  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS 

I  wish  now  to  teach  you  to  find  the 'class 
and  order  of  all  the  flowers  you  meet  with.  If 
you  are  able  to  do  this,  you  will  have  learned 
a  good  deal. 

In  this  book  I  cannot  tell  you  so  much  about 
the  way  to  find  the  genera  and  species  of 
plants,  though  I  mean  to  tell  you  something. 

Suppose  now,  you  know  the  class  and  order 
of  a  flower  you  have  in  your  hand.  Suppose 
it  is  the  Lily. 

It  is  of  the  sixth  class,  because  it  has  six 
stamens,  all  of  the  same  length. 

It  is  of  the  first  order,  because  it  has  one 
pistil. 

Well  now,  what  genus,  or  family,  does  it 
belong  to,  and  wThat  is  its  species  ? 

There  are  books  printed,  which  take  the 
classes  and  orders  separately,  and  describe  all 
the  flowers  that  belong  to  each.  They  take 
up  the  first  class,  and  tell  us  a  good  deal  about 
the  plants  that  belong  there. 

They  are  very  particular.  They  tell  us 
about  the  corolla,  and  the  calyx,  and  the  sta- 

Tell  us  a  little  about  finding  the  genus  and  species  of 
a  plant.  Show  how  you  would  proceed  with  the  Lily, 
if  you  was  analyzing  it. 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  5'J 

mens,  of  each  plant  in  that  class,  so  that,  when 
we  have  a  plant  with  one  stamen,  and  know 
that  it  belongs  to  the  first  class,  and  know  its 
order,  too,  we  can  easily  find  out  the  genus, 
when  we  see  it  described  with  the  rest  of  the 
genera  in  the  first  class. 

So  the  book  tells  us  very  particularly  about 
all  the  flowers  in  the  rest  of  the  classes,  going 
on  regularly,  up  to  the  twenty-first  class. 

By  this  description  of  genera,  we  learn  the 
genus  of  any  plant.  Then  the  student  must 
turn  to  another  part  of  the  book,  where  the 
names  of  all  the  different  species  of  plants  are. 

These  species  are  arranged  under  the  ge- 
nera to  which  they  belong  ;  and  all  the  genera 
are  put  down  like  the  words  in  a  dictionary. 
Those  beginning  with  A,  come  first.  Then 
those  beginning  with  B,  C,  and  so  on. 

So  when  you  know  the  genus  of  a  plant, 
you  turn  to  the  page  where  the  genus  is  put 
down  according  to  its  place  in  the  alphabet, 
and  there  you  will  find  what  species  K  be- 
longs to. 

How  are  genera  arranged  in  books  that  describe 
plants  ?  How  are  species  put  down  ?  Is  the  genus  or 
the  «pecies  found  by  its  place  in  the  alphabet? 


GO  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

I  need  not  tell  you  that  it  would  take  the 
whole  of  a  book  much  larger  than  mine,  to 
describe  all  these  genera  and  species. 

I  suppose  you  have  no  such  book  as  this 
now  before  you,  and  if  you  had,  you  would 
fini  many  hard  words  in  these  descriptions, 
which  you  could  not  understand. 

But  I  will  take  up  the  Lily,  and  trace  out  its 
genus  and  species,  and  show  you  how  you 
would  find  its  name,  if  you  did  not  know,  and 
if  I  had  prepared  for  you  such  a  work  as  the 
one  I  have  just  mentioned. 


CHAPTER  FIFTEENTH. 

The  Lily  belongs  to  the  sixth  class  and  first 
order,  does  it  not  ?  Well,  if  I  had  given  you 
a  description  of  plants,  you  would  look  at  the 
genera  under  the  sixth  class  and  first  order. 

There  I  should  tell  you  about  some  plants 
with  a  calyx,  for  this  class  has  a  great  many 
flowers  with  calyxes. 

But  you  need  not  expect  to  find  the  Lily  in 

What  cluss  does  the  Lily  belong  to  ?  How  would 
you  find  its  genus  in  <i  book  describing  different  plants  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  Q\ 

any  such  genus.  The  Lily,  you  know,  has  no 
calyx. 

You  might  go  through  half  a  dozen  genera^ 
before  you  came  to  the  right  one.  Some 
would  be  very  different  from  the  Lily.  Some 
would  be  very  much  like  it,  but  not  in  every 
respect. 

So  you  would  pass  on,  till  you  came  to  a 
genus  where  the  the  Lily  was  described. 

The  description,  if  I  had  made  it  for  little 
children,  would  be  like  this : 

"  Lilium. — Corolla  with  six  spreading  pe- 
tals ;  petals  growing  out  from  below  the  germ ; 
each  one  with  a  line  running  up  and  down  from 
the  middle  to  the  bottom  ;  stamens  shorter  than 
the  pistil ;  stigma  not  divided  ;  after  the  co- 
rolla has  fallen  off,  seed  vessel  somewhat  three- 
cornered,  with  the  partitions  joined  together, 
and  crossing  like  the  wires  in  a  sieve." 

This  would  describe  the  Lily,  so  that  you 
would  see  that  you  had  found  it,  if  you  was 
looking  for  its  genus. 

But  then,  you  would  only  have  the  genus  of 

How  would  you  find  the  species  after  you  had  the 
genus  ? 


62  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

your  Dlant.  There  are  several  (Liferent  spe- 
cies of  the  Lilium,  or  Lily. 

So,  to  get  the  species,  you  would  look  for 
L,  in  the  list  of  species,  and  find  Lilium. 

You  might  pass  by  half  a  dozen  species 
before  you  came  to  the  right  one  ;  but  when 
you  found  it,  the  description  of  it  would  be 
like  this  : 

"  Candidum. — Leaves  lance-shaped,  scat- 
tering, growing  smaller  towards  the  lower 
end  ;  corolla  bell-form,  inside  very  smooth ; 
growing  in  gardens." 

So  then  you  would  have  the  Lilium  Candi- 
dum, which  is  the  Latin  name  for  White  Lily. 

That  is  the  way  that  every  plant  is  ana- 
lyzed. First,  you  find  its  class,  then  its  order, 
then  its  genus,  and  then  its  species. 

But  before  you  try  to  find  the  name  of  any 
flower  in  this  way,  I  want  you  to  be  very  fa- 
miliar with  the  classes  and  orders ;  and  now, 
I  think  we  might  as  well  talk  a  little  about  all 
the  classes,  taking  them  up  according  to  their 
numbers,  from  one  to  twenty-one. 

What  is  it  necessary  to  know  very  well  before  we 
try  to  find  the  genus  and  species  of  plants  by  analyzing 
them  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  fi3 

As  I  mention  these  classes,  one  by  one,  I 
want  you  should  see  if  you  cannot  remember 
the  rules  you  have  been  learning  about  the 
classes,  and  if  you  cannot,  then  you  should 
>-ead  them  over  again. 

I  mean  to  give  you  a  picture  now,  with  each 
.class.  This  will  help  you  remember  what  I 
want  you  to  learn,  so  that  if  I  should  show 
you  any  flower  that  you  had  never  seen  be- 
fore, you  might  be  able  to  find  its  class  and 
order. 

FIRST    CLASS. 

There  are  but  very  few  flowers 
belonging  to  the  first  class  in  this 
country,  though  in  warm  climates 
there  are  many,  and  some  that  are 
quite  valuable. 

The  Samphire  is  one  of  the 
plants  belonging  to  this  class, 
which  grows  in  our  own  country.  I  have 
seen  it  on  the  shores  of  Long  Island  Sound, 
generally  in  places  that  are  overflowed  with 

What   is    said   of  the    first   class?      Has   it    many 
plants  ?      Mention  one. 


64  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

water  at  high  tide.  It  is  a  fleshy  plant,  and 
people  sometimes  make  pickles  of  it,  for 
eating. 

The  Samphire  belongs  to  the  first  order.  I 
suppose  you  can  tell  why.     It  has  one  pistil. 

SECOND    CLASS. 

There  are  a  number  of  plants 
which  are  very  pretty  in  this 
class. 

One  you  are  well  acquainted 
with,  I  am  sure.  I  mean  the 
Lilac.  This  shrub  flowers  very 
early  in  the  Spring,  and  its  blos- 
soms are  very  fragrant. 

The  Lilac  belongs  to  the  first  order,  as  you 
will  see,  when  you  examine  its  corolla. 

There  is  another  plant  in  this  class  that  is 
quite  common,  but  it  is  so  small,  that  a  great 
many  walk  over  it  without  noticing  it. 

But  that  is  no  sure  sign  it  is  not  worth  no- 
ticing. I  know  some  modest  boys  and  girls, 
that  are  not  as  likely  to  be  seen  as  some  others, 

What  is  the  order  of  the  Samphire  ?  What  is  said 
of  the  second  class  ?  What  flowers  can  you  mention 
in  these  classes  ?     What  of  them  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  65 

but  I  think  just  as  much  of  them,  and  a  great 
deal  more  than  I  do  of  some  that  make  more 
show. 

This  little  modest  flower  is  called  the  Ve- 
ronica, or  Speedwell.  It  has  a  light-blue 
blossom,  and  appears  in  the  month  of  May. 

THIRD    CLASS. 

Did  you  ever  see  the  Blue 
Flag,  that  grows  in  gardens  ? 
Sometimes  it  is  called  the 
Flower  de  Luce,  but  I  think 
that  a  very  poor  name  for  it. 
This  plant  belongs  to  the 
third  class,  and  as  it  has  but 
one  pistil,  to  the  first  order. 

Here,  too,  are  Wheat,  Barley,  Rye  and  Oats. 

So  you  see  the  plants  of  the  third  class  are 
quite  useful,  though  they  may  not  be  so  hand- 
some as  some  others.  Beauty  is  a  very  good 
thing,  but  sometimes  wTe  meet  with  good 
things,  without  much  beauty  in  them.  Once 
in  a  while,  too,  we  find  a  thing  which  is  pretty 
enough,  and  that  is  all  there  is  good  about  it. 

What  can  you  say  about  the  third  class  ?     Are  the 
plants  in  it  generally  beautiful,  or  useful,  or  both  ? 
6* 


66  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

CHAPTER  SEVENTEENTH. 

FOURTH    CLASS. 

Ami  ng  the  plants  belonging  to  this  class, 
is  the  Dogwood.  It  has  several  species.  One 
of  them  is  a  very  pretty  shade- 
tree.  Its  corolla  is  white,  and 
its  petals  large  and  showy. 
You  will  see  it  in  the  woods, 
in  flower  about  the  first  of  May. 

The  common  Plantain,  too, 
which  grows  in  your  door- 
yard,  belongs  to  this  class.  I  have  talked 
about  it  before.  You  have,  no  doubt,  often 
noticed  it  in  the  path,  as  you  were  walk- 
ing. It  does  not  seem  to  care  whether  it  is 
trod  upon  or  not.  How  many  times,  when  I 
was  a  child,  have  I  gathered  the  long,  slender 
rods  of  the  Plantain,  to  play  with. 

There  is  a  plant  belonging  to  this  class, 
which  has  something  very  curious  about  it. 

Some  years  ago,  when  I  was  roving  in  the 

What  plants  are  mentioned  as  being  in  the  fourth 
class?  Tell  what  is  said  of  them.  What  is  the  name 
of  the  curious  shrub  that  belongs  here? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  67 

woods,  after  the  frost  had  come,  in  the  month 
of  November,  I  discovered  a  bush  with  flowers 
on  it.  I  thought  it  very  strange,  for  any  plant 
to  be  in  flower  at  this  season  of  the  year.  I 
took  it  home  with  me,  and  analyzed  it,  for  I 
then  knew  something  about  Botany ;  and  I 
found  by  my  book  that  this  was  the  proper 
season  for  it  to  blossom. 

It  was  a  shrub  belonging  to  the  fourth  class 
and  second  order.  It  puts  out  flowers  in  the 
autumn,  and  waits  till  spring  before  it  bears 
fruit. 

I  don't  know  what  it  has  to  do  with  witches, 
I  am  sure.     But  they  call  it  Witch  Hazel. 

If  you  had  a  flower  of  the  Spearmint  or 
Peppermint  in  your  hand,  you  would  perhaps 
say  "  this  flower  belongs  to  the  fourth  class." 
But  take  care.  Look  at  it  a  little,  and  you  will 
see  that  though  it  has  four  stamens,  they  are 
not  all  of  the  same  length.  You  see  two  are 
long,  and  two  short.  So  it  must  belong  to 
another  class.     Can  you  tell  which  ? 

What  is  there  curious  .about  it?     Do  the  Spearmint 
and  Peppermint  have  four  stamens  ?     Do  they  not  bo 
long  to  the  fourth  class,  then  ?     Why  not  ? 


68 


CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 


FIFTH    CLASS. 

This  is  by  far  the  largest  of  the  classes  of 
Linnaeus.  It  contains  more  than  a  quarter  of  all 
the  plants  that  have  stamens 
and  pistils  which  can  be  seen 
with  the  naked  eye.  Many  of 
our  most  beautiful  flowers  and 
most  useful  vegetables,  have 
five  stamens. 

You  remember  the  Morning 
Glory,  which  we  talked  about  a  little  while 
ago.  That  belongs  to  the  fifth  class.  I  will 
not  tell  you  the  order.  But  when  you  see  it 
again,  you  may  notice  how  many  pistils  it 
has,  and  vou  can  tell  as  well  as  I  can. 

The  Violet  belongs  in  this  class.  There 
are  a  number  of  species  of  this  sweet,  modest 
flower.  Several  of  them  can  be  found  in  the 
forest  and  the  meadow,  in  the  month  of  May. 

Miss  H.  F.  Gould,  who  writes  most  beautiful 


Is  the  fifth  class  large  or  small  ?  "What  proportion 
of  all  the  plants  with  stamens  and  pistils  belong  to  this 
class  ?  Mention  some  flowers  that  belong  to  this  class. 
What  have  you  to  say  about  the  Violet  ?  Who  has 
made  a  pretty  fable  about  the  child  and  the  Violet  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOlANY.  69 

poetry  for  children,  has  given  us  a  fable  about 
a  little  child  and  the  wild  Blue  Violet. 
The  child  says, 

"  Violet,  violet,  sparkling  with  dew, 
Down  in  the  meadow-land,  wild  where  you  grew, 
How  did  you  come  by  the  beautiful  blue 

With  which  your  soft  petals  unfold  ? 
And  how  do  you  hold  up  your  tender,  young  head, 
When  rude,  sweeping  winds  rush  along  o'er  your  bed, 
And  dark,  gloomy  clouds,  ranging  over  you,  shed 

Their  waters  so  heavy  and  cold  ? 

"  No  one  has  nursed  you,  or  watched  you  an  hour, 
Or  found  you  a  place  in  the  garden  or  bower ; 
And  they  cannot  yield  me  so  lovely  a  flower 

As  here  I  have  found  at  my  feet ! 
Speak,  my  sweet  violet  !  answer  and  tell 
How  you  have  grown  up  and  flourished  so  well, 
And  look  so  contented,  where  lonely  you  dwell, 

And  we  thus  by  accident  meet ! " 

The  Violet  tells  the  child  how  it  is  able  to 
hold  up  its  head,  and  where  its  pretty  blue 
petals  came  from.  My  little  friends,  I  am 
sure,  do  not  need  to  go  to  school  to  the  wild 


Do  you  remember  the  fable  about  the  Violet  and  the 
child  ? 


70  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

flowers,  to  learn  who  takes  care  of  them,  and 
who  gives  them  their  beautiful  dress. 

The  Potato  belongs  to  this  class.  So  does 
the  Tomato.  These  are  in  the  same  genus. 
They  are  both  very  useful. 

There  is  one  plant  in  this  class,  which  is 
quite  common,  but  it  is  no  favorite  of  mine. 
Its  leaves  are  dried,  and  used  in  several  ways. 
Their  taste  is  very  bad,  and  it  is  said  there  are 
only  two  animals  that  will  eat  them.  One 
of  these  animals  is  a  frightful-looking  green 
worm — the  other  belongs  to  the  species  call- 
ed Man.    The  plant,  I  mean,  is  called  Tobacco. 

The  Coffee  Plant  belongs  to  this  class.  This 
is  a  very  important  plant.  As  you  have 
never  seen  one  growing,  and  perhaps  never 
will  see  one,  I  will  give  you  an  engraving  of  it. 
Here  it  is.  It  is  a  native  of  Arabia.  It  does 
not  grow  in  this  country.  After  its  flowers 
have  fallen,  it  bears  a  round  berry,  which 
comes   apart   when   it  is   ripe.      The   coffee 


Mention  some  of  the  useful  vegetables.  What  have 
you  to  say  of  one  that  is  not  very  useful  ?  What  two 
animals  are  fond  of  it?  What  do  you  know  of  the 
Coffee  Plant? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY. 


71 


which  we  use,  is  the  berry  split  in  two  pieces. 
The  Coffee  plant  has  one  pistil.  What  is  its 
order  ? 


There  are  a  great  many  plants  which  flower 
in  the  form  of  an  umbel.  You  do  not  know 
what  an  umbel  is ;  so  I  will  tell  you.  Any 
plant  that  has  flowers  in  a  head,  looking 
something  like  an  umbrella,  is  said  to  have  its 
flowers  in  umbels.  Such  are  the  flowers  of  the 

What  is  tin  umbel  ?  Mention  some  plants  that  flower 
in  the  form  of  an  umbel?  To  what  class  do  such 
flowers  generally  belong  ?  What  order  do  they  be- 
long to? 


72  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

Caraway  and  Dill.  Plants  with  umbels  belong 
to  this  class.  They  have  two  pistils,  and  of 
course  are  of  the  second  order. 


CHAPTER  EIGHTEENTH. 

SIXTH    CLASS. 

The  Lily,  you  will  remember,  belongs  to 
this  class. 

The  Tulip  is  a  little  like  it. 
The  Tulip  came  from  Persia. 
The  species  which  grows  in 
our  gardens  is  a  very  gay 
and  showy  flower ;  but  it  is 
not  so  pretty  as  many  that  are 
more  humble.     Do  you  think  it  is  ? 

When  it  was  first  brought  into  Europe,  1 
have  heard  that  the  people  thought  so  much 
of  it,  that  they  gave  very  high  prices  for  it. 

What  pretty  flowers  are  there  in  the  sixth  class  ? 
Tell  what  is  said  of  them.  Where  did  the  Tulip  first 
come  from  to  Europe  ?  What  was  thought  of  it  there 
at  first  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  73 

It  set  men  as  crazy  as  one  variety  of  the 
White  Mulberry  did  a  few  years  ago. 

Some  roots  of  the  Tulip  sold  as  high  as  two 
thousand  dollars  ;  and  in  one  instance  ten 
thousand  dollars  were  paid  for  a  single  Tulip 
root ! 

Many  people  gave  all  the  property  they  had 
for  a  few  Tulips.  They  thought  they  might 
make  a  great  deal  of  money,  by  raising  the 
flower  to  sell.  / 

Some  did  make  money,  of  course.  But  by 
and  by,  the  price  of  the  Tulip  began  to  fall, 
and  then  hundreds  of  men  became  poor  by 
their  foolish  trade. 

So  much  for  "  making  haste  to  be  rich."  It 
is  bad  business.  The  best  way  to  get  money 
is  to  earn  it  by  honest  and  patient  industry, 
just  as  the  bee  toils  among  the  flowers  of  the 
meadow,  to  lay  up  her  store  of  honey  for  the 
winter. 

I  remember  a  pretty  little  verse  about  the 
bee,  which  I  learned  at  school,  when  I  was  a 
child : 

What  is  said  about  people  wishing  to  get  rich  too 
so;>n  ? 


74 


CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 


"  How  doth  the  little  busy  bee 
Improve  each  .shining  hour  : 
She  gathers  honey  all  the  day, 
From  every  opening  flower.'- 

The  Mustard  blossom  has  six  stamens.  But 
you  must  not  put  it  in  the  sixth  class,  because 
four  of  its  stamens  are  longer  than  the  other 
two. 

The  Century  Plant,  a  picture  of  which  you 
will  see  on  one  of  the  first  leaves  of  this  book., 
belongs  to  the  sixth  class. 


SEVENTH    CLASS. 


There  are  not  many  plants 
with  just  seven  stamens.  I 
know  one  that  grows  in  the 
woods.  It  is  small,  but  very 
pretty.  It  is  called  the  Chick 
Wintergreen. 

You  will  know  it,  if  I  tell 
you  two  or  three  things  about. 


It  is  a  slender 


Does  the  Mustard  plant  belong  to  the  sixth  class  ? 
Why  ?  Are  there  many  plants  in  the  seventh  class  ? 
Can  you  mention  any  ?  and  what  of  them  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  75 

plant,  not  more  than  five  or  six  inches  high. 
Near  the  top,  are  six  or  seven  lance-shaped 
leaves,  arranged  around  the  stem  something 
like  a  wheel.  The  corolla  is  of  a  delicate  white 
color. 

It  flowers  in  the  month  of  June,  and  the 
most  likely  place  to  find  it,  is  among  the  dry 
leaves  in  the  woods. 

It  is  an  old  friend  of  mine  ;  and  you  know 
we  are  apt  to  love  our  old  friends  the  most. 
At  any  rate,  I  would  go  a  good  ways  to-day, 
and  climb,  I  don't  know  how  many  fences,  to 
say  nothing  about  getting  my  hands  scratched 
with  briars,  if  I  knew  I  could  see  the  sweet 
face  of  that  companion  of  my  childhood,  the 
Chick  Wintergreen. 

I  have  it  in  my  Herbarium,  or  collection  of 
dried  plants,  and  if  my  little  friends  were  with 
me  now,  I  would  show  it  to  them.  But  it  is 
not  so  beautiful  in  the  Herbarium,  as  it  is 
growing  in  the  forest.  Its  leaves  have  with- 
ered.    Its  delicate  blossom  has  faded. 

How  very  different  it  looks,  as  it  lifts  its 

What  can  you  tell  us  of  the  Chick  Wintergreen  ? 
What  is  a  herbarium? 


76  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

head  above  the  carpet  of  green  moss  where  it 
grows,  nodding  gracefully  to  the  little  boy, 
who  perhaps  does  not  notice  it  in  his  rambles 


CHAPTER  NINETEENTH. 

EIGHTH    CLASS. 

In  the  middle  of  sum- 
mer, you  will  see  a  plant, 
sometimes  growing  wild, 
and  sometimes  in  the  gar- 
den, called  the  Evening 
Frimrose.  This  is  one  of  the  plants  having 
eight  stamens,  and  belonging  to  the  eighth 
class. 

It  has  large  yellow  blossoms.  The  corolla 
opens  about  sunset,  and  is  closed  during  the 
day. 

I  have  stood  by  its  side,  just  as  the  sun  was 
hiding  himself  behind  the  hills,  and  seen  these 
flowers,  one  by  one,  unfold  .themselves,  and 


Tell  us  a  little  about  the  flowers  in  the  eighth  class. 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY. 


77 


spread  out  their  petals  to  drink  the  dew  ot  the 
evening. 

Will  you  notice  the  pistils  in  the  Evening 
Primrose,  when  you  see  it  again,  and  tell  your 
teacher  in  Botany  what  order  it  belongs  to  ? 


NINTH    CLASS. 

Now  we  come  to  the 
ninth  class.  Let  me  see. 
What  common  flowers  are 
here?  You  could  find  some, 
I  have  no  doubt,  if  you 
should  set  yourself  about  it. 

You  have  onlv  to  count 
the  stamens,  and  when  you  find  a  plant  with 
nine,  just  nine,  then  you  have  what  we  want 
now. 

I  think,  however,  you  will  not  find  a  great 
many  different  species  with  nine  stamens,  for 
this  very  good  reason,  that  there  are  not  many 
to  be  found.  Plants  do  not  seem  to  like  the 
number  of  seven  and  nine  ;  and  it  is  not  a  very 


Are  there  many  flowers  in  the  ninth  class  ?     What 
two  numbers  do  flowers  seem  not  *o  like  ? 
7* 


78  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

common  thing  to  see  them  with  either  stamens 
or  petals  in  companies  of  sevens  and  nines. 

I  do  not  think  of  many  plants  with  nine  sta- 
mens, that  grow  in  this  country.  The  Sassa- 
fras, that  you  know  very  well,  belongs  to  the 
ninth  class. 

The  Rhubarb,  or  Pie  plant,  belongs  here, 
too.  It  is  a  foreigner.  It  came  from  another 
country.  The  Pie  plant  grows  in  the  garden, 
and  is  very  useful.  Our  mothers  make  pies 
of  the  stems  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  and 
the  doctors  make  a  bitter  dose  of  the  root,  to 
cure  us,  I  suppose,  when  we  eat  too  much  of 
the  pie. 

The  same  bitter  medicine  cures  laziness, 
too.  At  any  rate,  I  know  it  cured  that  disease 
once.  I  will  tell  you  the  story.  You  will 
learn  a  good  lesson  from  it,  though  I  confess 
you  might  hear  a  great  many  such  stories, 
and  not  learn  much  about  Botany. 

When  I  was  a  little  boy,  my  father  took  me 
into  the  garden,  one  day,  to  pull  up  the  weeds. 

What  have  you  to  say  about  any  flowers  in  the  ninth 
class?  Can  you  tell  a  stoiy  about  one  of  them,  that 
has  not  much  to  do  with  Botany  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  79 

It  was  a  very  warm  day,  and  I  did  not  like 
my  work.  I  wanted  to  go  into  the  house.  So 
I  told  my  father  that  I  had  the  headache.  I 
did  very  wrong,  I  know,  for  the  only  sickness 
I  had  was  laziness,  and  my  father  knew  it. 
He  told  me  he  was  sorry  I  was  sick,  but  that 
sick  boys  must  not  wrork,  of  course.  "Go  into 
the  house,"  said  he,  "  and  tell  your  mother  that 
I  say  you  must  take  a  good  large  dose  of  Rhu- 
barb." I  had  to  take  the  medicine,  though  I 
would  rather  have  pulled  up  weeds  a  whole 
week.  But  it  cured  me.  I  was  not  troubled 
with  laziness  for  a  long  time  after  that.  1 
thought,  too,  while  I  was  taking  the  bitter 
Rhubarb,  that  the  truth  was  a  great  deal  bet- 
ter than  a  lie. 


Will  you  try  to  find  out  what  is  meant  by  the  saying, 
that  "Honesty  is  the  best  policy  ?" 


80 


CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 


CHAPTER  TWENTIETH. 


TENTH    CLASS. 


One  of  the  most  admired  flowers  in  this  class 
is  the  Garden  Pink.  I  need  not  say  anything 
in  its  praise.  Every  body 
loves  the  Pink.  You  will 
see  it  in  the  summer.  Then 
you  may  count  the  pistils, 
and  learn  what  order  it 
belongs  to. 

One  very  curious  and 
pretty  plant  in  this  class 
is  the  Laurel.  It  is  a  bush  growing  in  the 
woods.  It  has  a  corolla  shaped  like  a  sau- 
cer, and  in  the  sides  of  it,  when  it  first  opens, 
the  little  anthers  are  hidden  in  separate 
rooms.  By  and  by,  the  filaments  are  bent  a 
lit'le,  and  draw  these  anthers  out.  Then  they 
fly  up  suddenly,  and  scatter  the  pollen  upon 
the  top  of  the  pistil,  and  so  the  seed  is  formed. 


What  pretty  flowers  can  you  mention  that  are  in 
the  tenth  class  ?  What  is  there  remarkable  about  one 
of  the "ii  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY. 


81 


ELEVENTH    CLASS. 

We  have  now  come  to  a  class  which  is  not 
told  by  the  number  of  its  stamens ;  and  be- 
yond this  class,  up  to 
the  twenty- first,  there 
are  no  more  that  you 
can  find  out  by  count- 
ing the  stamens.  You 
recollect  it  is  only  the 
first  ten  classes  that 
are  named  according  to  the  number  of  their 
stamens. 

Now  we  must  have  something  else  to  guide 
us.  Do  you  remember  what  has  been  said 
about  the  eleventh  class  ?  It  has  more  than 
ten  stamens,  and  they  must  grow  out  of  the 
calyx,  you  say.  Well.  Now  for  some  plants 
that  have  a  good  many  stamens.  How  is  it 
with  the  Larkspur,  that  large  blue  flower  in 
the  garden  1    Let  us  look  at  it.     I  believe  it 


Let  us  see  what  you  know  about  the  eleventh  class. 
If  a  plant  has  eleven  stamens,  would  you  put  it  in  the 
eleventh  class  ?  What  rule  have  you,  then,  about 
forming  this  class  ?  Must  the  stamens  grow  from  the 
calyx  or  the  receptacle  ? 


82  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

has  stamens  enough  for  the  eleventh  class.  It 
has  more  than  ten,  I  am  sure.  But  stop  a 
moment.  We  are  too  fast.  The  Larkspur's 
stamens  all  grow  out  of  the  receptacle.  So 
good  bye,  Miss  Larkspur.  We  do  not  want 
you  just  now. 

The  Rose  will  do  better.     It  has  more  than 
ten  stamens,  and  they  grow  from  the  calyx. 

There  is  a  sweet  verse  of  poetry  that  some 
one  has  written  about  the  Rose,  which  I  often 
think  of,  when  I  look  upon  the  flower.     I  wil 
repeat  it. 

"  Traced  is  God's  name,  in  delicate  lines, 

On  flower  and  leaf,  as  they  dress  the  stem  ; 
His  care  is  seen,  and  his  wisdom  shines, 

In  even  the  thorn  that  is  guarding  them. 
Now  while  the  Rose,  that  has  burst  her  cup, 

Opens  her  heart,  and  freely  throws 
To  me  her  odors,  I  offer  up 

Thanks  to  the  Being  who  made  the  Rose." 

This  class  is  as  famous,  too,  for  its  good 


How  many  stamens  has  the  Larkspur?  Why  not 
put  it  in  this  class  ?  What  very  beautiful  flower  does 
belong  here  ?  Can  you  give  any  account  of  what  is 
said  about  this  flower  in  the  verse  of  poetry  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY. 


83 


fruit,  as  for  its  fine  flowers.  If  you  will  watch 
the  blossoms  of  the  Apple-tree  in  summer,  1 
think  you  will  tell  me  in  the  winter,  when  we 
are  eating  the  apples,  that  they  belong  to  the 
eleventh  class. 

And  the  Strawberry,  which  you  love  so 
well,  belongs  here,  too.  Watch  the  blossoms 
in  the  month  of  May,  and  you  will  see  that 
they  are  fastened  to  the  calyx. 


CHAPTER  TWENTY-FIRST. 

TWELFTH    CLASS. 

We  need  not  go  a  great  way  from  home, 
to  find  some  flowers  of  the  twelfth  class,  be- 
cause there  are  several 
garden  flowers  which 
belong  here.  The  Lark- 
spur I  have  already 
mentioned.  We  came 
very  near  mistaking  it 
for  a  plant  belonging  to 

What  fruit  trees  belong  to  the  eleventh  class  ?  What 
delicious  fruit  is  there  he«-e  that  does  not  grow  on  a 
tree?     Describe  the  twelfth  class. 


84  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

the  eleventh  class,  you  know.  But  its  stamens 
grow  from  the  receptacle,  so  it  must  go  into 
the  twelfth  class. 

Did  you  ever  see  the  White  Pond  Lily  ?  It 
is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  flowers  that  grow 
wild  in  this  country.  You  may  find  it  in 
ponds.  The  stem  comes  from  a  root  at  the 
bottom  of  the  pond,  and  it  has  one  flower  only, 
which  lies  on  the  surface  of  the  water.  Its 
corolla  is  pure  white.  I  scarcely  ever  saw  a 
lovelier  hVwer.  It  is  fragrant,  too,  and  a 
handful  of  them  will  fill  a  whole  room  with 
their  sweet  odor. 

The  Tea  Plant  belongs  to  the  twelfth  class. 
I  never  saw  one  growing,  and  never  expect 
to  see  one.  But  I  have  seen  a  picture  of  the 
tree.  It  is  on  the  next  page.  I  thought  you 
would  like  to  look  at  it,  not  on  account  of  its 
beauty,  but  because  we  have  so  much  to  do 
with  its  leaves.  This  shrub  is  a  native  of 
China.  The  flowers  are  white.  It  was  first 
brought  to  Europe  in  1666,  and  then  none  but 

What  beautiful  flower  can  you  mention  in  this  class  ? 
Where  does  it  grow  ?     What  useful  tree  belongs  here  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY. 


85 


the  richest  people  could  use  it,  because  it  was 
so  costly.  But  now,  I  need  not  say,  tea-drink- 
ing is  very  common.     So  I  suppose  it  will  not 


do  to  say  that  tea  is  not  good  to  drink.  Still 
I  think  you  will  say  that  pure  cold  water  is 
1  »etter. 

They  had  a  queer  sort  of  tea-party  once  in 
Boston.  It  was  in  the  time  of  the  first  war 
bet-ween   our  country  and  England.     If  you 


What  can  you  tell  about  a  Boston  tea-party? 
8 


86  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

never  heard  the  story  about  it,  you  must  get 
your  father  or  mother  to  tell  it  to  you,  for  I 
cannot  spare  any  more  room  for  Tea  in  niv 
book. 

THIRTEENTH    CLASS. 

In  the  thirteenth  class  are  plants  with  fou: 
stamens,  two  long  and  two  short. 

Very  many  of  the  plants  in  this  class 
have  lip-shaped  corollas.  The  Mint 
family,  you  know,  have  such  flowers, 
and  they  belong  to  this  class.  I  be- 
lieve I  have  already  told  you  that 
the  Spearmint  and  Peppermint  belong 
here. 


What  is  the  shape  usually  of  the  corollas  in  the  thir- 
teenth class  ?  What  else  can  you  remember  about  it ' 
What  plants  belong  to  it  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  SI 


CHAPTER  TWENTY-SECOND. 

FOURTEENTH    CLASS. 

Here  we  have  the  plants  with  six  stamens, 
four  long  and  two  short.  A  very  common 
form  for  the  corollas  in  this  class 
is  the  form  of  a  cross.  That  is, 
there  are  four  petals  spread  out 
flat  like  a  cross. 

There  are  a  number  of  garden 
vegetables  in  this  class.  Their 
flowers  are  generally  not  very 
pretty ;  but  the  vegetable  is  in  some  way  use- 
ful enough  to  make  up  what  it  lacks  in  beauty. 
Here  we  find  the  Radish,  the  Cabbage,  and 
the  Mustard.  Can  you  remember  how  we 
tell  the  different  orders  in  this  class  apart  ? 

FIFTEENTH    CLASS. 

Plants   that    have   the    filaments   of   their 
flowers  joined  together  at  the  bottom  in  one 


What  is  said  about  the  fourteenth  class?  What 
is  the  common  shape  of  the  corollas  of  the  plants  be- 
longing here?     Mention  some  plants  in  this  class. 


88  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS 

bundle  around  the  pistil  belong  to  the  fifteenth 
class. 

The  Geraniums,  a  large  tribe  of 
house  plants,  or  most  of  them,  at 
least,  belong  to  this  class.  They 
have  seven  stamens.  You  know 
the  orders  in  the  different  classes 
are  formed  from  the  number  of  the 
stamens.  Those  that  have  seven 
stamens  belong  to  the  third  order.  The  Gera- 
niums, then,  or  those  plants  which  we  usually 
call  Geraniums,  must  belong  to  the  third  order. 
There  is  a  separate  genus  that  has  the  name 
of  Geranium.  This  genus  has  ten  stamens. 
So  it  must  belong  to  the  fifth  order.  Must  it 
not  ?  There  is  one  species  of  this  plant,  which 
grows  wild  in  this  country.  You  will  find  it 
in  shady  places,  generally  in,  or  near  a  forest. 
It  has  a  beautiful  purple  blossom,  and  flowers 
in  May  and  June. 


: 


How  do  you  know  the  fifteenth  class  ?  What  tribe 
of  house  plants  is  there  in  it?  How  many  stamens 
has  the  house  Geranium  ?  What  is  its  order  ?  How 
many  stamens  has  the  separate  genus  called  by  the  same 
name  ?  What  is  its  order,  then  ?  What  can  you  re- 
collect about  one  species  of  this  genus,  that  grows  wild  ? 


FIRST  LKSSONS  IN  BOTANY. 


89 


The  Passion  Flower  belongs  here.  I  have 
had  one  species  of  it  engraved  for  you.  Here 
it  is.  You  have  seen  it,  perhaps.  It  is  called 
the  Blue  Passion  Flower.  It  is  not  a  native 
of  this  country.     But  it  is  cultivated   in  the 


house  in  pots.  It  is  a  climbing  plant,  and  if 
you  will  give  it  a  ladder  long  enough,  it  will 
run  a  very  great  distance.  There  are  several 
species  of  it.  The  anthers  of  the  Passion 
Flower  are  fixed  to  the  filaments  in  such  a 
way  that  some  people  have  supposed  the  sta- 


What  curious  flower  belongg^here  ?     How  is  it  cu- 
rious ?      What  gave  it  its  name  ? 


90  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

mens  and  the  pistil  together  to  look  like  the 
cross  on  which  our  Saviour  was  crucified. 
They  have  thought,  too,  that  they  could  see  in 
the  top  of  the  flower  a  likeness  to  the  crown 
which  he  wore.  That  is  the  reason  such  a 
name  has  been  given  to  it.  Passion,  many 
years  ago,  meant  pain  or  suffering.  So  the 
plant  was  called  the  Passion  Flower,  because 
it  looks  like  the  Cross  on  which  Christ  suf- 
fered, or  felt  his  dying  passion. 

But  I  hope  my  young  friends  do  not  need  to 
be  reminded  by  the  Passion  Flower,  that 
Christ  has  died  for  us.  I  hope  they  often 
think  of  his  death,  and  often  pray  that  they  may 
love  Him  who  first  loved  us,  and  gave  his  Son 
to  die  for  us. 

The  Cotton  Plant  belongs  to  the  fifteenth 
class.  It  has  more  than  ten  stamens.  So  it 
belongs  to  the  sixth  order. 

Most  of  you  have  not  seen  the  Cotton  Plant 
growing.  But  here  is  a  drawing  of  one  spe- 
cies of  it  on  the  opposite  page.  I  need  not 
tell  you  that  it  is  a  very  useful  plant.     We 


What  very  useful  Southern  plant  is  in  this  class  ? 
Describe  it. 


THE    COTTON   PLANT. 


92  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

can  hardly  tell  now  how  we  should  get  along 
without  it,  it  seems  so  necessary  for  our  cloth- 
ing. How  thankful  should  we  be  that  God 
provides  so  many  things  for  our  comfort.  The 
Cotton  Plant  grows  in  the  Southern  States.  It 
is  very  handsome.  The  flower  has  five  petals, 
of  a  pale  yellow  color,  with  a  little  purple  spot 
near  the  bottom.     Its  leaves  are  lance-shaped. 


CHAPTER  TWENTY-THIRD. 

SIXTEENTH     CLASS. 

As  you  have  already  been  told,  plants  that 
have  flowers  with  filaments  tied  together  at 
the  bottom  in  two  bundles,  belong  to  the  six- 
teenth class.  There  is  one  other 
thing  about  this  class,  which  will 
help  you  in  telling  what  flowers  be- 
long to  it.  The  corollas  of  nearly 
all  the  plants  are  butterfly-shaped. 
You  remember  I  have  given  you  a 
picture   of  this   shape.     When  you 


How  do  you  know  the  sixteenth  class  ?     What  is  the 
shape  of  the  corollas  of  plants  in  this  class  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  93 

see  a  flower  with  such  a  corolla,  it  will  be  safe 
generally  to  place  it  in   the  sixteenth   cla? 
without  first  noticing  the  stamens.     But  son. 
times  you  may  be  mistaken. 

There  is  one  flower  I  think  of  zt  this  mo- 
ment, and  a  pretty  one,  too,  which  has  a  but- 
terfly-shaped corolla  and  ten  stamens.  But 
Botanists  have  not  put  it  into  this  class,  be- 
cause the  filaments  are  not  joined  together, 
either  in  two  bundles,  or  one.  So  it  is  put  into 
the  tenth  class.  The  flower  I  am  thinking  ot 
is  the  Sensitive  Plant. 

The  Pea  and  Bean  belong  to  the  sixteenth 
class.  And  I  may  here  say,  that  plants  with 
butterfly-shaped  corollas  almost  always  have 
their  seeds  in  some  kind  of  a  pod.  So  you 
have  another  thing  to  mark  most  of  the  plants 
in  the  sixteenth  class.  After  the  flower  has 
fallen  off,  they  bear  a  pod.  This  pod  is  differ- 
ent in  different  plants.  The  Bean,  you  know, 
has  a  different  one  from  the  Pea. 

Both  these  vegetables   have  ten  stamens. 

What  is  the  name  of  one  that  has  such  a  shape  and 
ten  stamens,  but  does  not  belong  to  this  class  ?  Why 
not  ?  How  does  the  seed  generally  grow  on  the  plants 
in  this  class  ?     How  are  the  orders  formed  in  this  class  ? 


94  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

In  this  class  the  orders  are  formed  from  the 
number  of  stamens.  Those  that  have  ten  sta- 
mens, belong  to  the  fourth  order. 

SEVENTEENTH    CLASS. 

This  is  a  very  large  class.  It  contains  a 
great  many  plants.  I  think  that  in  the  fall  of 
the  year,  there  are  more  flow-  rtfn/*s 

ers  in  the  fields  belonging  to  *Sffi£3 

this  class  than  there  are,  at  that     //Jj    ^F 
season,  in  all  the  other  classes  ^L 
together.  \[ 

This  class,  we  have  seen,  is 
marked  by  its* having  five  an- 
thers joined  together,  and  its  flowers  being 
compound.  Do  not  forget  that  the  stamens 
must  be  bound  together  by  their  anthers,  not 
by  their  filaments,  and  that  the  flowers  must 
be  compound.  Can  you  remember  what  a 
compound  flower  is?  It  has  several  florets, 
you  say.     But  what  is  a  floret  ?     You  cannot 

Are  there  many  plants  in  the  seventeenth  class  ? 

How  do  you  know  this  class  ?  Are  the  stamens  joined 

by  their  anthers  or  filaments?  Point  to  a  floret  in  the 
picture. 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  95 

very  easily  mistake  the  flowers  in  this  class. 
They  always  grow  in  some  kind  of  a  head, 
formed  of  a  number  of  florets,  and  there  are 
generally  a  good  many  florets. 

You  see  in  the  engraving  which  I  have 
given  of  this  class,  three  parts.  One  is  the 
whole  of  a  compound  flower.  Then  I  have 
given  you  besides  two  kinds  of  florets.  They 
are  very  small  on  the  plant,  when  it  is  grow- 
ing, but  I  have  made  them  large,  so  that  you 
can  see  them  more  easily.  One  of  these 
florets  contains  stamens.  The  other  contains 
pistils. 

The  Dandelion,  one  of  the  first  flowers  of 
spring,  belongs  to  this  class.  How  beautiful 
a  meadow  looks,  with  these  flowers  scattered 
over  it.  The  Dandelion  belongs  to  the  first 
order,  because,  as  you  will  see  by  examining 
it,  each  floret  has  a  stamen  and  pistil  of  its 
own. 

Here  is  the  Golden  Rod,  too.  This  is  a  very 
common  plant  in  the  autumn.     There  ar~  u 

Which  is  the  floret  with  stamens  ?  Which  has  pis- 
tils ?  What  plants  belong  here  ?  What  can  you  say 
about  the  Dandelion  ?  What  order  is  it  in  ?  Why  ? 
Whnt  other  plant  is  mentioned  ?     What  is  said  of  it  ? 


90  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

great  many  species  of  it.  The  flowers  of  the 
different  species  are  almost  always  yellow. 
You  will  see  the  Golden  Rod  growing  by  the 
side  of  fences,  in  the  field,  or  by  the  road  side, 
sometimes  much  higher  than  your  head.  This 
plant  belongs  to  the  second  order,  because  the 
florets  in  the  centre  of  the  flower  have  a  sta- 
men and  pistil  of  their  own,  and  the  outside 
florets  have  only  a  pistil. 

The  Sun  Flower  is  in  the  seventeenth  class, 
too.  It  is  named  Sun  Flower,  on  account  of 
its  turning  round  its  head,  as  the  Sun  moves, 
so  as  to  face  the  sun,  at  all  times  of  the  day. 
This  plant  has  florets  in  the  centre  of  its  head, 
with  a  stamen  and  pistil  of  their  own,  and 
florets  on  the  outside  with  no  stamen  and  no 
pistil.  So  the  Sun  Flower  belongs  to  the  third 
order. 


What  is  the  order  of  the  Golden  Rod?  Why? 
What  is  said  of  the  Sun  Flower?  What  is  its  order, 
and  \\J13'  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY. 


97 


CHAPTER  TWENTY-FOURTH. 


EIGHTEENTH    CLASS. 


In  the  eighteenth  class,  the  stamens  seem  to 
grow  out  of  the  pistil.  You  can  generally  tell 
this  class  very  easily,  but  you 
may  sometimes  be  puzzled  to  tell 
the  different  orders  apart.  The 
orders  in  this  class  depend  upon 
the  number  of  stamens,  and  some- 
times they  have  no  filament,  but 
have  only  a  little  speck  of  pollen, 
lying  on  the  pistil.  Then  you 
have  to  look  very  carefully  to  find 
out  what  order  it  is. 

One  of  the  prettiest  flowers  in  the  eighteenth 
class,  is  the  Lady's  Slipper.  There  are  seve- 
ral species  of  it  growing  in  the  woods  about 
the  middle  of  summer. 


NINETEENTH    CLASS. 

The  nineteenth  class  has  its  stamens  on  one 

How  do  you  know  the  eighteenth  class  ?     What  is 
s?id  about  the  plants  of  this  class  ?     What  is  one  of  the 
prettiest  flowers  in   this  class  ? 
9 


93 


GUILDS  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 


corolla,  and  its  pistils  on  another  corolla  ;  both 
on  the  same  plant. 

The  Cucumber  belongs  to  this  class.  You 
have  noticed,  perhaps,  as  you  have  watched 
this  vegetable  in  the  gar- 
den, that  a  great  many  of 
the  flowers  fall  off,  and  no 
young  cucumber  grows 
from  the  spot  where  they 
were.  The  reason  often  is, 
that  this  flower  had  sta- 
mens only.  Such  never  have  fruit.  The  pol- 
len is  scattered  from  them  upon  the  pistils  in 
other  flowers,  and  those  with  pistils  produce 
the  fruit. 

The  Alder,  a  small  tree,  very  common  in 
swamps,  belongs  to  this  class. 

All  the  Pine  trees  belong  to  this  class. 
There  are  a  great  many  species  of  the  Pine, 
and  they  are  all  very  useful,  and  many  of  them 
very  beautiful.  All  the  species  have  a  kind 
of  fruit  upon  them,  shaped  like  a  cone  or  sugar- 
How  do  you  know  that  a  plant  belongs  to  the  nine- 
teenth class  ?  What  plants  are  mentioned  as  being  in 
this  class  ?  What  is  the  reason  so  many  blossoms  on 
the  Cucumber  fall  off  without  bearing  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY. 


99 


loaf.     These  vary   in  shape  and  size  in  dif- 
ferent species   of  the  Pine  ; 
but  they  are  all  well  worth 
your  notice. 

I  do  not  know  that  there 
s  a  more  useful  tree  in  the 
world  than  the  Pine.  Only 
think  of  how  many  things  we 
make  of  it.  Sometimes  it 
grows  more  than  two  hun- 
dred feet  high.  It  is  usually 
very  straight,  too.  So  that 
it  makes  very  fine  masts  for 
ships. 

The  Indian  Corn  belongs  to  the  nineteenth 
class.  When  you  pass  through  a  corn-field  in 
the  summer  time,  you  see  a  head,  or  bunch  of 
flowers,  on  the  very  top  of  the  stalk. 

I  do  not  know  what  children  generally  call 
this  head.  I  used  to  call  it  a  spindle,  when  I 
was  a  boy. 

This  head  contains  the  stamens  of  the  plant. 

What  can  you  say  about  the  Pine  tree  1  To  what 
class  does  that  tree  belong  ?  What  other  very  useful 
plant  belongs  to  the  nineteenth  class  ?  On  what  part 
of  it  are  the  stamens  ? 


100  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

Have  you  never  noticed  the  dust  on  these 
flowers  ?    That  is  the  pollen. 

There  are  never  any  ears  of  corn  on  this 
head,  because  it  has  nothing  but  stamens 
upon  it ;  and  stamens,  you  know,  do  not  bear 
any  seed. 

The  little  threads,  lower  down  on  the  stalk, 
are  the  pistils.  Children  call  these  little  threads 
silk,  I  believe. 

Now  these  threads  run  along  under  the 
husk.  The  pollen,  from  the  stamens  above? 
falls  down  on  the  ends  of  these  pistils,  and  so 
the  seed  is  formed  at  the  lower  end  of  each 
thread. 

If  you  pull  off  the  silk  in  the  flowering  sea- 
son of  the  corn,  you  will  spoil  the  new  seed 
that  is  forming.  Each  young  kernel  has  a 
thread  for  itself.  There  must  be  at  least  as 
many  threads  as  there  are  kernels. 

Where  are  the  pistils  of  the  Indian  Corn  ?  How  is 
the  seed  produced  ?  Will  it  do  any  harm  to  strip  off 
the  silk  from  the  corn  ?     How  will  it  injure  the  plant  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY 


101 


CHAPTER  TWENTY-SIXTH. 


TWENTIETH     CLASS. 

The  twentieth  class  is  like  the  nineteenth  in 
one  respect.  That  is,  it  has  its  stamens  and 
pistils  on  separate  corol- 
las. But  the  difference 
is  this :  The  nineteenth 
class  has  the  flowers  with 
stamens  and  the  flowers 
with  pistils  on  the  same 
plant,  while  the  twentieth 
class  has  its  flowers  with 
stamens  on  one  plant,  and  its  flowers  with  pis- 
tils on  another  plant. 

There  are  a  good  many  trees  which  belong 
to  the  twentieth  class.  The  pollen  from  the 
tree  bearing  the  stamens  is  blown  by  the  wind 
upon  another  tree,  which  bears  the  pistils. 
The  bees,  too,  help  to  remove  the  pollen  from 
one  tree  to  another.     In  this  manner  the  seed 


How  is  the  twentieth  class  like  the  nineteenth  ?  How 
is  it  different  ?  What  else  can  you  say  about  the  twen- 
tieth class  ?     How  does  the  pollen  get  from  the  plant 

with  stamens  to  the  one  that  has  pistils  ? 
9* 


102  CHILD'S  BOOK  OK  FLOWERS. 

is  produced  upon  the  tree  which  bears  the 
pistils. 

The  plants  in  this  class  which  bear  the  sta- 
mens, are  called  staminate.  Those  which  have 
the  pistils  are  called  pistillate. 

A  pistillate  tree,  growing  alone,  has  been 
known  to  live  a  great  many  years  without 
bearing  any  seed,  until  a  staminate  tree  has 
grown  up  above  the  other  trees  in  the  forest, 
so  high  that  its  pollen  was  waited  to  the  other, 
and  the  same  season,  the  latter  has  had  seed 
upon  it. 

The  Pitcher  Plant  belongs  to  this  class. 
The  engraving  shows  you  how  it  looks. 

It  grows  in  the  island  of  Ceylon,  and  it  is 
very  difficult  to  make  it  grow  in  this  country, 
in  gardens  and  green-houses. 

It  has  a  very  queer  leaf.  It  is  hollow,  like 
a  cup,  as  you  see  in  the  picture.  This  cup  is 
generally  filled  with  sweet  water.  A  leaf  will 
sometimes  hold  a  quart,  or  more.     It  has  a  lid 

What  are  the  flowers  with  stamens  called  ?  What 
are  the  flowers  with  pistils  called  ?  What  can  you  say 
of  one  tree  in  this  class  ?  What  plant  can  you  men- 
tion in  this  class  with  a  curious  leaf?  Where  does  it 
grow  ?     What  kind  of  a  leaf  has  it  ? 


THE    PITCHER    Pt,A.XT. 


104 


CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 


upon  it,  which  opens  at  night  and  closes  du- 
ring the  day. 

The  Willow  belongs  to  the  twentieth  class 
So  do  the  Poplar  and  Juniper. 


CHAPTER  TWENTY-SEVENTH. 

TWENTY-FIRST    CLASS. 

"W  e  have  come  now  to  a  class  that  cannot 
boast  of  any  great  beauty. 
But  the  plants  in  it  were 
made  by  the  same  hand 
that  scattered  sweet  flow- 
ers over  the  earth,  and  they 
teach  us  the  same  lesson, 
that  God  is  great,  and  wise, 
and  good. 

The  twenty- first  class 
contains  plants,  you  know, 
that  have  no  stamens  and 
pistils,  or  at  least,  none  that 

Mention  some  common  trees  in  the  twentieth  class. 
What  is  said  of  the  plants  in  the  twenty-first  class? 
Have  they  stamens  and  pistils  ?  Have  they  much 
beauty  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  105 

can  be  seen  with  the  naked  eye.  They  have 
no  corollas,  like  other  plants. 

In  the  drawing  which  I  have  given  you 
with  this  class,  you  see  a  Mushroom.  This 
vegetable  belongs  here.  There  are  other 
very  different  plants  in  this  class. 

The  Ferns  and  the  Mosses  belong  here. 

That  green  vegetable  matter,  which  you 
sometimes  see  in  ponds,  and  which  goes  by 
the  name  of  Frog  Spittle,  belongs  to  the  twen- 
ty-first class. 

But  I  will  not  describe  this  large  class  of 
plants  very  particularly.  They  are  very  diffi- 
cult to  analyze ;  and  until  you  are  better  ac- 
quainted with  the  other  classes,  you  would  do 
well  to  show  them  some  partiality.  They 
will  at  present  reward  you  better  for  your 
study.  Still,  I  would  not  have  you  neglect 
these  less  beautiful  plants  entirely.  By  and 
by  I  hope  you  will  become  familiar  with  them, 
and  when  you  do,  you  will  find  much  in  them 
that  is  curious  and  wonderful. 


Mention  some  of  the  lower  kinds  of  plants  that  be- 
long to  this  class.  Are  the  plants  in  this  class  e;isy  to 
analyze  ? 


106 


CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 


LOOKING  THROUGH  THE  MICROSCOPE. 


CHAPTER   TWENTY-EIGHTH. 


I  think  I  must  tell  you  one  or  two  more 
things  about  them  now,  just  to  let  you  see  tha 
they  are  worth  studying. 

The  Puff  Ball,  which  you  have  seen  in  t 
woods,  and  which  sends  out  a  large  cloud  of 
fine  dust  when  you  step  on  it,  or  press  it  in 
your  hands,  belongs  to  this  class.  Each  one 
of  the  small  particles  of  dust  in  the  Puff  Ball,  is 


Are  there  any  plants  belonging  to  the  twenty-first  class 
which  are  at  all  remarkable  ?  Mention  some  of  them.  What 
can  you  say  about  the  puff  ball  ?  What  about  the  particles 
of  dust  that  fly  from  it  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  10  Y 

a  kind  of  seed,  [f  you  look  at  it  through  a 
glass  which  is  called  a  microscope,  you  will 
find  that,  as  small  as  it  is,  it  has  a  sort  of  shell, 
and  that,  inside  of  that  shell  there  is  a  little 
germ. 

You  are  ready  to  ask,  if  these  grains  are  all 
seeds,  why  the  ground  is  not  all  covered  with 
Puff  Balls,  in  the  woods.  The  reason  is,  that 
a  very  great  number  of  these  seeds,  (or  spores, 
as  they  are  called,)  when  they  are  wafted  about 
by  the  wind,  lodge  in  places  where  the  soil  is 
not  of  the  right  kind  for  them.  They  need  just 
such  a  kind  of  soil;  and  if  they  do  not  find  it, 
they  never  take  root.  When  one  of  these  lit- 
tle seeds  does  find  the  right  soil,  it  takes  root, 
and  another  Puff  Ball  springs  up. 

The  mould  that  you  sometimes  see  in  paste, 
and  other  moist  substances,  is  composed  of  a 
great  number  of  plants.  You  wonder  how  that 
can  be,  I  suppose.  Well,  I  wonder,  too.  But 
I  am  sure  that  it  is  so.     You  would  be  delight- 


How  do  these  particles  of  dust  appear,  when  they  are  seen 
through  a  microscope  ?  "Why  are  not  the  woods  all  covered 
■with  puff  balls  ?  Mention  another  curious  kind  of  plant  be- 
longing to  the  twenty -first  class. 


108  CHILD"S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

ed  to  look  through  the  microscope  at  the  sepa- 
rate plants  in  this  mould.    They  look  like  trees. 

These  plants,  as  you  can  satisfy  yourself, 
even  without  a  microscope,  are  covered  with  a 
fine  dust,  of  a  bluish  color.  The  dust,  as  I 
need  hardly  tell  you,  is  the  seed,  like  the  dust 
in  the  Puff  Ball. 

The  species  of  plants  which  thrive  in  paste 
do  not  thrive  in  the  same  soil  where  the  Puff 
Ball  grows;  and  the  seeds  of  the  Puff  Ball,  if 
they  should  fall  upon  paste,  would  not  grow. 
The  two  species  of  plants  need  different  soils. 

There  is  another  kind  of  mould  which  is 
found  in  old  cheese.  You  have  often  seen  it,  I 
presume.  Children  are  not  generally  fond  of 
cheese  that  has  mould  in  it;  but  many  older 
people  are.  Some  like  the  cheese  all  the  bet- 
ter because  it  is  mouldy. 

This  cheese-mould  is  composed  of  another 
species  of  plants  belonging  to  the  twenty-first 
class.  The  separate  plants,  as  in  the  case  of 
the  mould  in  paste,  look  like  trees ;  but  the 
trees  appear  very  different  from  the  other 
species. 

Can  you  think  of  another  kind  of  plant  of  a  similar  nature  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  109 

All  these  plants  have  dust  upon  them,  and 
this  dust,  when  it  gets  into  another  cheese,  will 
be  very  likely  to  produce  a  new  coat  of  mould. 

But  here  the  question  comes  up,  How  do 
the  seeds  of  the  mould  get  into  the  cheese  at 
first  ?  I  suppose  it  is  in  this  way  :  The  dust 
is  floating  about  in  the  air,  almost  all  the  time, 
though  the  particles  are  so  small  that  nobody 
notices  them.  Well,  when  the  milk  is  prepared 
for  making  cheese,  and  while  it  is  standing  in 
the  form  of  curd,  these  little  particles  fall  into 
it,  and,  after  a  while,  when  the  cheese  becomes 
old,  they  begin  to  grow. 

In  England,  they  have  a  kind  of  cheese 
which  is  called  Stilton  cheese.  It  is  more 
mouldy  than  most  other  kinds  of  cheese,  and 
on  this  account  many  people  are  very  fond  of 
it.  I  am  told  that  the  reason  why  this  cheese 
is  so  mouldy  is,  that  the  curd  is  allowed  to 
stand  a  long  time  in  the  open  air,  so  that  a 
greater  number  of  the  seeds  of  the  cheese- 
mould  will  find  their  way  into  the  curd. 

How  do  the  seeds  of  the  cheese-mould  in  cheese  get  into 
the   cheese?     What  is  said  about   Stilton  cheese?      What 
makes  it  more  mouldy  than  other  kinds  of  cheese  ? 
10 


110  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

CHAPTER  TWENTY-NINTH. 

ORGANS  OF  VEGETABLE  LIFE  AND  GROWTH. 

When  you  see  a  large  and  beautiful  house 
you  do  not,  perhaps,  at  first,  stop  to  inquire 
what  there  is  about  it  which  makes  you  admire 
it.  You  do  not  try  to  find  out  what  particular 
kind  of  stone  the  builder  used,  nor  in  what  way 
the  whole  building  was  so  nicely  put  together. 
Still,  when  you  begin  to  be  more  familiar  with 
the  whole  house,  it  would  not  be  strange  if  you 
should  want  to  know  all  about  the  different 
materials  used  in  building  it. 

It  is  frequently  just  so  with  young  people,  in 
their  acquaintance  with  the  vegetable  world. 
The  more  they  know  about  different  plants, 
the  more  they  want  to  know  about  the  way  in 
which  they  live  and  grow — what  organs  they 
have,  which  cannot  be  seen  with  the  naked 
eye,  and  of  what  use  these  organs  are.  I  have 
no  doubt  that  my  little  friends  would  like  to 


What  are  the  first  thoughts  of  children,  when  they  see 
beautiful  plants  ?     What  do  they  want  to  know  afterward  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  Ill 

know  something  about  these  things,  and  I  will 
tell  them  a  little. 

A  great  part  of  the  plant  is  made  up  of  a 
substance,  which  is  called  cellular  tissue.  The 
reason  why  it  is  called  cellular  is,  that  it  is  all 
full  of  cells.  These  cells  have  different  forms, 
though  they  are  often  shaped  like  the  cells  in  a 
honey-comb.     Here  is  a  picture  of  the  tissue. 

These  cells  are  found,  too,  in 
the  pith  and  fruit.  They  are  M$0$$$q 
very  small — a  great  deal  smaller  f$S$=ife§> 
than  they  appear  in  the  picture.  ^9$9§2P>C  * 
There  are  many  thousands  of  QQQSl>^ 
them  in  a  single  leaf  no  larger  ^AfKfrV^ 
than  a  cent.  VVArSA 

There  is  another  kind  of  eel-  cellular  tissue 

it  ,  •  i    •     i        •        c  1       .  IN  A  LEAF. 

lular  tissue,  which  is  found   m 
the  bark  and  sap-wood.     This  tissue  resembles 
a  wall  made  of  bricks  or  square  stones.     The 
next  picture  shows  you  very  nearly  how  it  looks. 

What  does  Theodore  propose  to  tell  his  young  friends  next  ? 
What  is  a  great  part  of  every  plant  composed  of  ?  Why  is 
it  so  called  ?  What  is  one  of  the  most  common  forms  of 
the  cells  ?  Mention  some  parts  of  the  plant  where  these 
cells  abound.  Mention  another  kind  of  cellular  tissue. 
Where    is    this    kind   found  ?      What   does    it   resemble  ? 


112 


CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 


WALL-FORM  CEL- 
LULAR TISSUE. 


I  am  sorry  to  be  obliged  to  use  these  hard 
words ;  but  it  seems  to  be  ne- 
cessary in  this  case.  You  will 
understand  them,  however, 
without  any  difficulty,  I  think. 

There  is  another  substance 
which  is  called  the  woody  tissue. 
This  is  made  up  of  bundles  of 
very  fine  cells  in  the  form  of  a 
cylinder,  tapering  at  both  ends.  They  are  very 
long  and  tough. 

These  bundles  have  the  appearance  of  fibres ; 
but  if  we  look  at  them  carefully,  through  a 
good  microscope,  we  fhid  that  they  are  some- 
thing more  than  fibres.  We  find,  that  though 
this  tissue  may  be  divided  into  threads  so  small 
that  it  will  take  seven  or  eight  of  them  to  equal 
the  size  of  a  fine  hair,  each  of  these  exceed- 
ingly small  threads  is,  in  fact,  a  hollow  tube, 
tapering  at  both  ends. 


WOODY  TISSUE. 


What  other  substance  is  spoken  of  as  composing  a  part  of 
the  plant  ?  What  form  is  it  in  ?  What  have  you  to  say 
about  the  length  of  the  threads  ?  What  have  you  to  say 
about  their  size  ?     What  else  do  you  recollect  about  them  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  113 

Each  of  these  tubes,  too — so  we  perceive, 
if  we  look  carefully  at  the  whole  mass — each 
of  these  tubes  is  joined  to  other  hollow  tubes 
of  the  same  nature  and  form.  You  will  un- 
derstand more  clearly  what  I  mean,  if  I  give 
you  another  picture. 


SINGLE  THREAD  OF  WOODY  TISSUE. 

These  tubes,  when  the  plant  is  young,  serve 
as  channels  for  the  sap,  in  its  passage  upward. 
But  afterward,  as  the  plant  becomes  older,  they 
are  rilled  with  particles  of  different  matter  ;  and 
so  they  form  solid,  hard  wood. 

Another  kind  of  tissue  still,  which  may  be 
found  in  the  leaves  and  other  parts  of  the 
plant,  is  called  vascular  tissue.  This  word 
vascular  is  taken  from  another  word  which 
means  a  vessel.  This  tissue  is  so  called,  be- 
cause it  is  so  full  of  little  vessels.  One  of  the 
most  common  of  these  little  vessels  is  the 
spiral  vessel. 

What  is  the  use  of  these  tubes  ?  What  is  the  name  of  ano- 
ther kind  of  tissue  which  is  spoken  of?     Why  does  it  take 
that  name  ?     What  is  one  of  the  more  common  vessels  in 
this  kind  of  tissue  ? 
10* 


114  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

Spiral  vessels  are  made  up  of  hair-like  tubes, 
coiled  round  and  round,  in  a  spiral  form,  as  in 
the  next  picture.     They  are  shut  up  in  tubes, 

SPIBAL  VESSEL. 

so  thin  that  you  can  easily  see  through  them. 

If  a  leaf  of  the  spiderwort  be  doubled  down, 
first  on  one  side,  and  then  on  the  other,  so  as 
to  break  through  the  outside  skin  on  both  sides, 
and  if  the  two  pieces  of  the  leaf  are  then  care- 
fully and  slowly  pulled  apart,  this  tube  will 
break,  and  the  spiral  vessels  will  unroll,  so  as 
to  appear,  when  seen  with  the  naked  eye,  like 
fine  hairs  between  two  parts  of  the  leaf. 

In  many  plants,  however,  these  vessels  are 
too  fine  to  be  seen  without  a  microscope. 

These  vessels  are  sometimes  called  air-ves- 
sels, because  their  slender  spiral  tubes  are  al- 
ways found  filled  with  a  kind  of  air. 

When  we  look  at  the  inside  of  the  plant,  as 

What  plant  is  mentioned  as  one  in  which  you  can  see  these 
small  vessels  !  In  what  way  would  you  go  to  work  to  see 
them  ?  What  do  they  appear  to  be,  when  they  are  seen 
with  the  naked  eye  ?  What  other  name  is  sometimes  given 
to  these  vessels  ?     Why  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  115 

we  are  now  doing,  what  an  idea  it  gives  us  of 
the  wisdom  of  the  Great  Being  who  made  the 
world  and  all  things  which  are  in  it.  I  often 
think  that  the  wisdom  of  God  is  often  quite  as 
striking  in  the  smallest  objects,  as  it  is  in  those 
which  are  so  vast  that  we  are  lost  when  we 
attempt  to  form  an  acquaintance  with  them. 
How  much  reason  there  is,  as  we  look  at  any 
of  the  works  of  nature,  to  exclaim,  "  Oh,  Lord, 
how  manifold  are  thy  works !  in  wisdom  hast 
thou  made  them  all." 


CHAPTER  THIRTIETH. 

OTHER  ORGANS,  AND  THEIR  USES. 

Nearly  every  part  of  the  plant  is  covered 
with  a  thin  coat,  called  the  epidermis.  This 
coat  is  composed  of  a  kind  of  cellular  tissue, 
but  the  cells  are  pressed  so  closely  together, 
that  they  are  scarcely  seen  at  all  with  the 
naked  eye.     The  cells  are  filled  with  air. 

What  views  of  the  character  of  God  do  we  get  from  these 
small  and  curious  organs  ?  What  is  the  thin  coat  called  which 
covers  almost  every  part  of  the  plant  ?  What  is  it  com- 
posed   of  ?     What   are   the   cells   filled  with  ? 


116  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

Sometimes  the  epidermis  has  two  or  more 
separate  layers.  Plants  growing  in  hot  cli- 
mates usually  have  several  layers  more  than 
the  plants  in  cooler  climates. 

The  oleander,  a  house  plant,  which  you  have 
no  doubt  seen,  comes  from  a  warm  country, 
where  there  are  frequent  warm,  dry  winds ; 
and  this  plant  has  an  epidermis  composed  of 
four  layers. 

The  epidermis  on  the  leaves  abound  with 
pores  which  are  exceedingly  small.  These  are 
called  mouths.  Each  mouth  consists  of  two 
kidney-shaped  cells,  which,  when  they  are  open, 
leave  a  little  slit  between  them.  Sometimes 
these  mouths  are  entirely  shut.  They  are 
generally,  though  not  always,  on  the  under 
side  of  the  leaf. 

You  will  be  astonished  when  I  tell  you  what 
a  large  number  of  these  mouths  there  are  on  a 
single   leaf.     On   the  leaves   of  some   plants, 

Has  the  epidermis  of  any  plants  more  than  one  layer  ? 
What  is  said  of  the  oleander  ?  How  many  layers  are  there 
in  its  epidermis  ?  What  are  the  pores  called  which  are 
found  in  the  epidermis,  on  its  leaves  ?  What  kind  of  cells 
are  they  composed  of?  On  which  side  of  the  leaf  are  they 
generally  found  ?     Are  these  mouths  many  or  few  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY. 


117 


there  are  forty  thousand  on  a  surface  of  one 
square  inch.  On  the  leaf  of  the  common  lilac, 
one  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  have  been 
counted  in  a  single  square  inch. 

The  use  of  these 
mouths  is  supposed 
to  be  to  afford  the 
plant  the  means  of 
throwing  off  the 
water,  which  is  not 
necessary  for  its 
health  and  growth. 
This  unnecessary  moisture  is  carried  off  from 
the  leaf  by  the  help  of  these  mouths,  in  the 
same  way  that  water  is  taken  up  from  a  pond, 
when  the  sun  shines  warmly  upon  it.  The 
water  is  said  to  evaporate,  or  to  go  off  in 
vapor. 

There  are  some  plants,  you  know,  which  need 
a  great  deal  more  watering,  in  dry  weather,  than 
other  plants  do.    Those  which  need  most  water- 


MOUTHS  ON  THE  LEAF. 


"What  number  are  there  to  a  square  inch  on  some  plants  ? 
How  many  on  the  leaf  of  the  lilac  ?  What  is  the  use  of 
these  mouths  ?  How  does  the  plant  get  rid  of  the  water 
which  it  does  not  need  ? 


118  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

ing,  have  generally  the  greatest  number  of 
mouths  in  the  leaf.  You  can  see  the  reason 
why  they  need  more  water  when  the  season  is 
dry.  It  is  because  the  water  in  the  plant  goes 
off  so  fast  through  these  numerous  pores. 

Have  you  never  seen  the  leaves  of  the  lilac 
droop,  as  if  it  was  suffering  for  want  of  water, 
while  the  leaves  of  the  apple  tree,  or  the  pear 
tree,  only  a  rod  or  two  from  the  place  where 
the  lilac  grew,  were  not  affected  at  all  by  the 
heat  and  drought  ? 

The  reason  of  that  difference  is,  that  in  the 
lilac  leaf  there  are  one  hundred  and  sixty 
thousand  pores  to  a  square  inch,  while  in  the 
leaves  of  the  apple  and  pear  tree  there  are  only 
some  twenty  thousand  pores  in  the  same  space. 

Some  plants,  with  very  few  mouths,  when 
they  are  watered  too  much,  are  unable  to  throw 
off  the  water  they  do  not  need,  and  they  get  a 
kind  of  dropsy.    They  become  sick,  on  account 

When  plants  need  a  great  deal  of  watering,  what  some- 
times takes  place  in  the  leaf?  Why?  What  is  the  rea- 
son for  the  difference  you  see  in  the  leaves  of  the  lilac, 
and  the  leaves  of  the  apple  tree  and  pear  tree,  in  dry 
weather?  What  takes  place  in  some  plants  when  they 
have  too  much  water  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY. 


119 


of  the  large  quantities  of  water  in  them,  and 
unless  they  can  be  cured,  they  die.  The  differ- 
ent kinds  of  cactus,  on  account  of  the  few 
mouths  they  have  in  the  leaves,  are  liable  to 
this  disease. 

What  a  multitude  of  these  mouths  there 
must  be  on  those  leaves  that  grow  to  a  very 
large  size.  Take  such  a  plant  as  this  in  the 
picture  ;  and  suppose  there  are  sixty  thousand 


A  PLANT  WITH  LARGE  LEAVES. 


In  what  plants  is  this  effect  seen  ?     How  many  mouths 
are  there  on  a  large  leaf,  such  as  you  see  in  the  picture  ? 


120  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

mouths  in  every  square  inch  of  the  leaf — how 
large  the  number  must  be.  There  cannot  be 
less  than  one  hundred  square  inches  in  one  of 
the  leaves ;  so  there  are  at  least  six  millions  of 
these  small  pores  in  a  single  leaf. 

Who  can  doubt  that  there  is  a  God,  and  that 
he  is  perfect  in  wisdom,  when  he  takes  the 
pains  to  examine  the  works  of  nature,  and 
when  he  sees  what  skill  there  must  have  been 
in  planning  and  creating  all  these  things  ? 

Some  people  do  not  believe  that  there  is  a 
God.  They  do  not  believe  what  the  Bible 
says.  "  It  is  not  true,"  they  say.  "  Some  men 
made  the  book — God  never  made  it.  There 
is  no  God.  Everything  came  by  chance. 
Chance  made  the  world,  and  all  that  is  in  the 
world." 

I  knew  a  man,  some  years  ago,  who  thought 
so,  or,  at  least,  pretended  to  think  so — he  tried 
hard  to  think  so.  He  told  me  a  story  about 
himself,  which  I  will  tell  you. 

He  was  sitting  in  his  front  door-yard,  one 
day  in   summer,   reading  one   of  his   infidel 

Repeat  the  story  of  the  man  who  did  not  believe  there 
was  any  God  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY. 


121 


books.  It  was  a  beautiful  day.  The  trees 
were  all  clothed  in  their  richest  dress,  and  the 
flowers  were  blooming  all  around  him. 


MY  FRIEND,  READING  AND  THINKING. 

As  he  sat  there,  he  happened  to  look  off  from 

his  book  for  a  moment,  and  his  eye  fell  upon  a 

rose,  in  full  bloom,  only  a  few  feet  from  where 

he  was  sitting.     He  plucked  the  flower,  looked 

at  it  awhile,  and  went  on  reading,     By-and- 

by  he   stopped  reading  a^ain,  and  looked  in 
11 


122  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

the  face  of  the  flower.  The  more  he  examined 
it,  the  more  he  was  filled  with  admiration. 

At  last,  while  he  was  looking  at  the  delicate 
tints  in  the  rose,  he  could  not  help  saying, 
"What  a  fool  I  am!  Here  I  am  trying  to 
make  myself  believe  there  is  no  God,  when  I 
see  the  mark  of  his  fingers  on  everything  around 
me." 

That  man  soon  became  a  most  demoted 
Christian.  He  burned  up  his  infidel  books, 
and  became  more  warmly  attached  to  the  Bi- 
ble. 

What  kind  of  a  man  did  he  become  after  awhile  ?  What 
did  he  do  with  his  infidel  books  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  123 

CHAPTER   THIRTY-FIRST. 

HOW     PLANTS     LIVE     AND     GROW. 

I  must  tell  you  something  about  the  way  in 
which  plants  get  their  food,  and  how  they  eat 
and  grow.  "  What !  do  plants  eat  ?"  some  lit- 
tle boy  or  girl  inquires.  "  I  never  knew  that 
before.     Well,  that  is  queer  enough." 

There  are  a  great  many  strange  things  about 
the  vegetable  world ;  and  the  more  you  learn 
of  Botany,  the  more  you  will  find  to  make  you 
wonder. 

The  principal  food  of  all  kinds  of  plants  is 
called  carbonic  acid.  This  is  a  gas.  You 
know  what  a  gas  is,  do  you  not?  It  is  some- 
thing very  much  like  the  air  we  breathe.  Car- 
bonic acid  floats  in  the  air,  and  is  often  found 
in  the  earth.  You  cannot  see  it  injthe  air,  any 
more  than  you  can  see  the  air  itself.  There 
are  several  other  things  that  plants  eat  besides 
carbonic  acid;  but  this  is  the  principal  thing. 

In  respect  to  other  articles  of  diet,  some 
plants  like  one  thing,  and  some  another. 

What  is  the  principal  food  of  plants  ?  What  is  a  gas  i 
Whei  0  is  carbonic  acid  found  ? 


124  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

Now  how  do  you  suppose  a  plant  eats  the 
carbonic  acid  ?  There  are  two  ways  in  which 
it  receives  it.  One  is  by  means  of  the  roots, 
and  the  other  is  by  means  of  the  leaves.  There 
is  some  carbonic  acid  in  the  earth,  around  the 
roots;  and  this  enters  the  little  fibres  of  the 
roots,  and  is  taken  up  to  every  part  of  the 
plant.  But  a  very  large  quantity  of  this  gas 
comes  from  the  air,  and  is  taken  in  through 
the  pores  of  the  leaves. 

It  seems  hardly  possible  for  a  gas,  floating  in 
the  air,  to  furnish  the  principal  part  of  the 
food  necessary  for  a  large  tree.  But  it  does 
furnish  it. 

The  leaves  have  sometimes  been  called  the 
lungs  of  plants — the  organs  by  which  they 
breathe.  It  is  quite  as  proper,  however,  to  say 
that  the  leaves  act  the  part  of  a  stomach.  It  is 
in  the  leaves  that  the  food  is  digested,  and  from 
the  leaves  the  nourishment  goes  out  into  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  plant. 

Carbonic  acid  is  composed  of  two  different 
substances — carbon  and  oxygen.    The  leaf  of 

How  does  the  plant  get  its  carbonio  acid  ?  Of  what  use 
are  the  leaves  to  plants  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  125 

the  plant  separates  the  carbon  from  the  oxygen. 
It  throws  away  the  oxygen,  and  uses  the  car- 
bon. The  carbon  becomes  hard,  and  forms  the 
wood  in  a  tree.  When  you  burn  a  piece  of 
wood,  without  giving  it  much  air  while  it  is 
burning,  there  is  a  large  piece  of  charcoal  left. 
This  coal  is  almost  all  carbon. 


CHAPTER  THIRTY-SECOND. 

THE     CIRCULATION     OF    THE     SAP. 

The  sap  in  the  plant  rises  from  the  root  to 
the  very  top.  It  goes  into  the  leaves  and  flow- 
ers, and  then  comes  downward.  It  seems 
strange  to  you,  no  doubt,  that  the  sap  can  go 
up  so  high  as  it  does  in  a  large  tree.  It  used 
to  seem  strange  to  much  older  heads  than 
yours.  But  we  are  now  able  to  tell  in  what 
way  the  sap  goes  up. 

I  cannot,  in  this  small  book,  written  for  small 
children,  tell  you  how  the  sap  rises,  and  circu- 

What  does  the  leaf  do  with  the  food  which  it   receives  ? 
What  is  the  wood  of  a  tree  principally  composed  of?     How 
far  up  does  the  sap  rise  in  a  plant  ? 
11* 


126  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

lates  all  over  the  plant.  When  you  are  older, 
and  learn  something  about  chemistry,  you  will 
be  better  able  to  understand  the  reason  for  the 
circulation  of  the  sap.  It  is  sufficient,  now,  to 
let  you  know  that  it  does  rise. 

The  sap  rises  from  the  roots,  through  very 
small  tubes  in  the  outside  layers  of  the  wood- 
After  it  has  gone  through  a  change  in  the 
leaves,  and  is  made  into  nourishment  for  the 
plant,  it  goes  down  through  the  inside  layer  of 
the  bark,  and  is  gradually  taken  into  the  plant 
at  different  places,  as  it  goes  down.  In  this 
way  the  solid  parts  of  the  plant  are  formed. 

The  sap  performs  the  same  part,  you  see,  in 
vegetables,  that  the  blood  does  in  animals. 

Through  what  part  of  the  plant  does  the  sap  rise  ?    Through 
what  part  of  the  plant  does  it  go  down  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  127 

CHAPTER  THIRTY-THIRD. 

PARASITES. 

There  are  some  kinds  of  plants  which  go  by 
the  name  of  parasites.  They  get  their  food 
from  other  plants.  A  plant  called  dodder, 
which  is  pretty  common  among  us,  is  a  para- 
site. It  is  a  climbing  plant,  with  a  very  small 
stem. 

The  dodder  springs  from  the  earth,  and  runs 
on  the  surface  of  the  ground,  until  it  finds  a 
plant  suitable  for  it  to  live  upon,  and  then  it 
climbs  up  and  gets  its  food  from  the  juices  of 
that  plant. 

I  have  often  seen  this  plant  in  the  summer 
and  autumn.  It  was  first  pointed  out  to  me,  I 
recollect,  by  a  farmer,  who  was  reaping  a  field 
of  grain.  The  dodder  was  very  plenty  in  the 
field.  It  did  not  climb  on  the  grain,  I  believe, 
but  I  think  the  farmer  found  it  on  some  of  the 
reeds  that  grew  there. 

What  do  you  mean    by  a  parasite?     Mention  a  com- 
mon parasite.    How  does  it  get  its  food  at  first  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  129 

As  -this  parasite  winds  its  way  upward,  it 
sends  out  little  fibres,  which  bore,  like  an  awl, 
through  the  bark  of  the  plant  which  supports 
the  parasite.  When  it  first  appears  above  the 
ground,  it  lives  on  the  juices  it  gets  from  its 
roots  in  the  earth ;  but  in  a  very  short  time 
the  roots  die,  and  the  plant  does  not  get  any 
more  of  its  nourishment  from  the  earth. 

The  dodder  would  die,  then,  if  it  were  not 
for  the  contrivance  it  has  for  living  on  the 
plant  on  which  it  climbs.  It  has  no  leaves.  If 
it  had  leaves,  it  might  be  fed  from  the  air,  per- 
haps, like  other  plants. 

The  dodder,  as  well  as  all  other  plants  of  the 
same  habits,  like  some  lazy  folks  that  I  have 
met  with,  seems  to  prefer  to  get  its  food  from 
others,  rather  than  to  earn  it  by  hard  work. 
So,  after  boring  holes  into  the  milkweed,  or 
such  other  vegetable  as  comes  in  its  way,  it 
take  the  food  already  manufactured  in  the  sap- 
vessels  of  the  industrious  plant,  and  carries  it 
into  its  own  house. 

The  mistletoe  is  another  parasite.     It  grows 


How  does  it  get  ita  food  afterwards  ?     Has  the  dodder  any 
leaves  ?    Mention  another  parasite. 


130  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

in  some  of  the  southern  states.  This  is  a  more 
remarkable  plant  than  the  one  I  have  just  men- 
tioned. The  seeds  of  the  young  plant  are 
sown,  in  different  ways,  in  the  crevices  of  the 
bark  of  trees,  and  immediately  the  roots  which 
it  puts  out  pierce  the  wood  of  the  tree. 

Very  soon  the  tree  and  the  parasite  become 
so  closely  joined  together,  that  when  you  try 
to  separate  them  with  a  saw  or  knife,  you  can- 
not tell  exactly  the  spot  where  they  are  joined. 
The  mistletoe  is  just  like  a  graft  on  an  apple 
tree.     It  becomes  a  part  of  the  tree  itself. 

If  the  stem  of  the  mistletoe  is  cut  off,  and 
plunged  in  water,  it  will  not  take  up  any  of  the 
water,  or,  if  any,  but  a  little  of  it ;  but  if  a  part 
of  the  branch  of  the  tree  on  which  it  grows  is 
cut  off,  with  the  parasite,  and  put  into  water, 
the  whole  branch,  mistletoe  and  all,  will  take 
in  the  water.  If,  instead  of  clear  water,  color- 
ed water  is  used,  you  can  tell  the  color  in  the 
veins  of  the  mistletoe. 

In  what  part  of  the  country  is  it  found  ?  What  is  said 
about  the  way  in  which  this  parasite  is  joined  to  the 
tree  it  grows  on  ?  What  is  said  about  water  rising  in  a 
branch  of  the  mistletoe,  when  it  is  broken  off?  What  takes 
place  when  the  parasite  and  a  branch  of  the  tree  it  grows  on 
are  both  put  into  colored  water  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  131 

CHAPTER  THIRTY-FOURTH. 

SIZE  AND  AGE  OF  TREES. 

Some  trees  live  to  be  very  old,  and  grow  to 
an  enormous  size.  There  are  some  so  large, 
that  quite  a  family  could  live  inside  of  the 
trunk,  if  the  tree  was  hollow.  Some  are  known 
to  be  thousands  of  years  old. 

In  that  class  of  trees  that  grow  large,  there 
is  a  way  of  telling  pretty  nearly  how  many 
years  they  have  been  growing.  If  you  saw  a 
log  in  two,  you  will  see  circles  or  rings  in  the 
wood.  These  rings  are  not  far  apart.  They 
begin  at  the  heart,  and  reach  quite  to  the  bark. 
Well,  there  is  generally  one  of  these  rings 
formed  in  a  year — and  only  one ;  so  that,  if 
you  want  to  find  out  how  old  a  tree  is,  after  it 
is  cut  down,  you  must  count  the  rings  that 
have  been  formed  in  the  wood. 

You  cannot  tell  the  exact  age  of  a  tree  in 

What  have  you  to  say  about  the  age  of  trees  ?  What  of 
their  size  ?  What  way  is  there  of  telling  how  old  a  tree  is, 
after  it  is  cut  down  ?  Can  you  tell  it  exactly  in  this  way  ? 
Why  not  ? 


132  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

this  way,  however.  Sometimes,  when  there 
has  been  a  very  warm  spring,  so  that  the  sap 
has  begun  to  run  quite  early,  and  this  season 
has  been  followed  by  cold  weather,  two  or 
more  rings  are  formed ;  and  once  in  a  while, 
when  there  is  a  moist,  warm  winter,  the  rings 
made  in  two  different  seasons  are  joined  to- 
gether, and  form  but  one  ring.  So  that,  al- 
though you  can  tell  pretty  nearly  how  old  a 
tree  is,  you  cannot  tell  exactly. 

On  the  island  of  Teneriffe,  there  was  a  tree, 
called  the  Dragon  s  tree,  which  measured  forty- 
five  feet  round.  It  was  blown  down  by  the 
wind  in  the  year  1822. 

Humboldt,  the  celebrated  traveller,  saw  a 
tree  in  Africa,  which  he  guessed  to  have  been 
thousands  of  years  old. 

Several  years  ago,  there  was  a  very  old  cy- 
press tree  in  Mexico.  It  measured  one  hun- 
dred and  seventeen  feet  round  the  trunk,  near 
the  ground. 

What  is  said  about  a  tree  on  the  island  of  Teneriffe  ?  What 
about  one  in  Africa  ?     What  about  one  in  Mexico  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  EST  BOTANY.  13S 

CHAPTER  THIRTY-FIFTH. 

GATHERING  AND  PRESERVING  FLOWERS. 

It  is  a  good  plan  for  you  to  get  in  the  habit 
of  gathering  specimens  of  the  new  and  rare 
plants  you  come  across.  You  can  preserve 
them,  without  much  trouble,  so  that  they  will 
look  quite  pretty  and  natural  for  a  good  many 
years. 

I  must  give  you  a  hint  or  two  about  collect- 
ing flowers,  I  guess.  A  great  many  children, 
when  they  take  a  walk  in  the  meadow  or  in 
the  woods,  bring  home  with  them  only  a  small 
part  of  the  plants  they  find.  They  often  get 
only  the  flower  and  a  little  piece  of  the  stem. 
The  best  way  is,  unless  the  plant  is  quite  too 
large,  to  bring  home  the  whole  of  it.  If  it  is 
too  large,  then  get  as  much  as  it  is  convenient 
to  take  home  and  preserve.  In  the  case  of 
bushes  and  trees,  you  cannot,  of  course,  take 

Can  you  preserve  plants  without  much  trouble  ?  What 
caution  is  given  in  gathering  flowers  which  are  to  be  pre- 
served ? 

12 


134  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

the  whole  plant.  You  must  content  yourself 
with  a  small  bough  or  twig.  But  most  of  the 
pretty  plants  that  you  will  be  likely  to  select, 
are  small  enough  to  allow  you  to  pluck  them 
close  to  the  ground,  and  to  bring  the  whole 
plant,  or  nearly  the  whole  plant,  home  with  you. 

Well,  after  you  get  the  plant  home,  the  first 
thing  to  do,  unless  you  have  done  it  already, 
is  to  analyze  it — that  is,  as  I  have  told  you  be- 
fore, to  find  out  what  class  and  order  it  be- 
longs to,  and  what  its  name  is.  This  may  cost 
you  some  trouble,  at  first.  You  will  have  to 
get  some  one  who  is  older  than  you  are  to  help 
you,  very  likely.  But  after  a  while,  when  you 
are  able  to  understand  the  descriptions  of  plants 
which  are  given  in  larger  books  on  Botany, 
you  will  not  find  much  difficulty  in  deciding 
what  family  each  of  your  plants  belongs  to, 
and  what  its  name  is. 

The  next  thing  to  be  done,  after  analyzing 
the  plants,  is  to  press  them.  In  order  to  do 
this  neatly,  you  must  first  have  a  smooth  board, 

What  is  the  first  thing  to  be  done  after  you  get  the  plant 
home  ?  What  is  the  next  thing  to  be  done  ?  How  do  you 
go  to  work  to  press  plants  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  135 

large  enough  for  any  of  your  plants,  and  put 
several  thicknesses  of  newspaper  on  it.  Then 
put  on  a  layer  of  plants,  and  another  layer  of 
newspaper,  and  so  on.  It  is  well,  I  think,  if 
you  have  a  good  many  plants  to  press  at  once, 
to  put  in  a  board  pretty  often,  so  as  not  to  have 
more  than  three  layers  of  plants  between  each 
board.  Place  another  board  on  the  top  of  the 
whole  heap,  after  you  have  put  in  all  the  plants 
you  have  to  press,  and  then  you  need  a  pretty 
heavy  weight  for  the  whole  pile. 

These  plants  you  must  take  out  of  the  papers 
as  often  as  once  a  day,  and  give  them  fresh 
papers.  If  you  should  let  them  remain  with- 
out changing  them,  the  juice  in  the  plant 
would  moisten  the  papers,  and  it  would  be 
likely  to  mildew.  If  you  change  the  papers, 
they  will  get  dry,  and  you  can  use  them  again 
the  next  day. 

Some  plants  need  pressing  only  a  day  or 
two.  Others  must  remain  in  the  press  nearly' 
a  week.  You  ought  not  to  stop  pressing  any 
plant  until  it  is  thoroughly  dry. 

What  is  it  necessary  to  do,  in  order  to  prevent  mildew  ? 
What  difference  is  there  in  plants  with  respect  to  the  amount 
of  pressing  necessary  ! 


136  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

CHAPTER  THIRTY-SIXTH. 

HOW  TO  MAKE  A  HERBARIUM. 

Do  you  know  what  a  herbarium  is  ?  It  is  a 
book  containing  a  collection  of  plants  which 
have  been  dried  and  pressed.  If  the  plants 
have  been  well  preserved,  and  tastefully  ar- 
rayed, a  herbarium  is  a  very  interesting  and 
useful  book. 

The  book  should  be  made  as  long  and  as 
wide  as  will  be  necessary  for  the  common 
flowers.  You  may  make  it  as  thick  as  you 
please,  though  I  would  rather  have  several 
books  than  to  have  one  so  large  that  it  cannot 
be  conveniently  used. 

It  should  be  made  of  white  paper,  and,  when 
bound,  should  have  what  the  bookbinders  call 
guards  in  the  back ;  that  is,  the  back  should 
be  thicker  than  the  front.  The  reason  why  it 
should  be  made  so  is,  when  you  come  to  put 


What  can  you  say  about  the  way  to  make  a  herba- 
rium ?  What  is  it  necessary  to  do,  in  order  to  prevent  the 
plants,  when  the  book  is  full,  from  making  the  front  of  the 
buok  thicker  than  the  back  ? 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY.  137 

}Tour  flowers  into  the  book,  it  will  increase  its 
thickness  so  much,  that  it  would  not  look  well, 
and  would  not  be  convenient  to  handle,  with- 
out the  binder  put  some  guard  or  additional 
thicknesses  of  paper  in  the  back. 

The  plants  should  not  be  confined  on  the 
leaves  of  the  herbarium  until  they  have  been 
analyzed.  After  you  have  found  what  class, 
and  order,  and  species,  a  particular  specimen 
belongs  to,  then  you  can  fasten  it  on  the  leaf 
of  the  book. 

There  are  several  ways  of  fastening  the 
plant  in  the  herbarium.  One  way  is  to  cut  lit- 
tle slits  in  the  leaf,  and  to  put  the  stem  of  the 
plant  through  them.  This  is  a  pretty  good 
way,  but  I  do  not  like  it  so  well  as  another 
which  I  will  mention. 

The  other  way  is  to  put  the  plant  on  with 
glue.  The  glue  should  be  weak,  much  weaker 
than  the  carpenter  and  the  bookbinder  use. 
When  it  is  warm,  you  can  spread  it  on  the 
side  of  the  plant  carefully.  Then,  as  soon  as 
possible  afterwards,  you  must  put  the  plant  on 
the  leaf  of  the  herbarium. 

How  do  you  fasten  the  plants  in  the  book  ? 
12* 


138  CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS. 

You  will  be  likely  to  inquire  about  the  order 
in  which  you  had  better  put  your  plants  in  the 
herbarium.  Well,  I  think,  if  you  had  several 
hundreds  of  plants  at  once,  I  should  say  it 
would  be  best  to  arrange  them  according  to 
genera — that  is,  to  put  all  the  plants  you  hap- 
pen to  have  belonging  to  one  genus  together, 
and  those  belonging  to  another  genus  together. 
Then  it  would  be  well  to  leave  several  blank 
leaves  for  each  genus,  so  that  you  could  put  in 
any  new  species  that  you  might  find. 

But  as  you  will  probably  not  have  many 
plants  at  a  time,  you  cannot  so  well  arrange 
them  in  this  order.  So  I  think  you  may  put 
them  in  the  book  without  any  order,  that  is, 
just  as  they  happen  to  fit  on  a  page. 

When  you  get  a  book  full  of  specimens,  you 
can,  if  you  like,  make  an  index,  with  the  names 
of  the  plants  put  down  according  to  the  ar- 
rangement of  the  letters  of  the  alphabet,  and 
refer  to  the  page  in  the  herbarium,  where  each 
plant  is  placed. 

What  order  is  it  best  to  observe  in  laying  the  plants  in  the 
book  ?  What  is  to  be  done  when  yon  get  a  book  full  of 
specimens  ?      » 


CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS.  139 

CHAPTER  THIRTY-SEVENTH. 

CONCLUSION. 

And  now,  my  young  friends,  I  must  take 
leave  of  you.  It  may  be  I  shall  talk  to  you 
again  about  Botany.  But  whether  I  do,  or 
not,  I  hope  you  will  go  on  with  the  study.  It 
is  a  pleasant  study.     Do  you  not  think  so  ? 

It  is  a  useful  study,  too.  Everything  is  use- 
ful, which  makes  us  better  acquainted  with 
God ;  and  I  am  sure  that  Botany  does  this. 
Every  flower  that  blows  tells  us  something 
about  its  Creator.  It  says,  as  we  stoop  down 
to  look  at  it,  and  admire  it, 

"  The  hand  that  made  us  is  divine." 

It  is  said  that  Linnaeus,  the  Botanist,  of 
whom  I  have  before  spoken,  once  found  a  very 
splendid  flower  in  his  rambles,  which  he  had 
never  seen  before,  and  that  he  immediately 
knelt  down,  and  thanked  God  for  making  such 
beautiful  flowers  bloom  in  the  world. 

Is  Botany  a  useful  study?  Mention  one  way  in 
which  it  is  useful.  What  is  said  of  Linnaeus,  when  he 
once  found  a  beautiful  flower  ? 


140 


FIRST  LESSONS  IN  BOTANY. 


He  was  a  great  man,  but  he  was  not  too 
great  to  remember  Him  who  planted  the  lilies 
of  the  field,  and  taught  them  to  bloom. 

I  hope  that  no  one  who  has  gone  through 
this  work  with  me,  will  forget  or  neglect  to 
pray.     My  friend  that  I  told  you  of,  the  little 


i!U=f; 


girl  who  was  so  fond  of  the  study  of  flowers, 
used  often  to  go  to  some  retired  place,  with 
her  1  rother  James,  and  they  both  knelt  down, 
and  praised  God  for  all  his  goodness  to  them, 
and  asked  him  to  make  them  good  children. 
I  have  heard  Emma  say  a  good  many  times, 


What  can  you  say  about  little  Emma  ?     Was  she  a  good 
girl  1     What  reason  have  you  to  think  so  ? 


CHILD'S  BOOK  OF  FLOWERS.  141 

that  she  could  not  see  how  a  person  who  stu- 
died Botany  could  help  loving  God. 

Dear  children !  Theodore  is  very  anxious 
that  you  should  become  acquainted  with  flow- 
ers and  admire  them ;  but  he  is  much  more 
anxious  that  you  may  look  beyond  these  flow- 
ers up  to  your  Father  in  heaven,  and  that  you 
mav  admire  his  character. 

He  who  covers  the  meadow  with  its  beau- 
tiful dress,  provides  you  with  clothing.  He 
gives  you  food  to  eat.  He  gives  you  all  the 
good  things  you  enjoy.  No  one  has  ever 
been  so  kind  to  you.  No  one,  among  all  your 
friends,  loves  you  so  tenderly.  None  surely 
is  so  deserving  of  your  love. 

WThat  does  Theodore  wish  you  would  all  do  ?     Who  is 
most  worthy  of  your  love? 


TOE   FND. 


•*»~ 


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*. 


